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ilovjeon · 7 years

Text

one love (two mouths) | taekook

pairing: taehyung & jeongguk | namjoon & jin | yoongi & hoseok

genre: smut, angst and fluff

word count: 12k

summary: he was a camboy. the other was an avid sponsor.

It was the green light that flickered, indicating that he was live - the lens of his webcam staring at him like an unblinking eye. Which, ironically, was exactly what it was as he watched the number in the right hand corner of his livestream tick over. 100, 150, 200. In just a few minutes it would reach 4,000.

Taehyung was already positioned comfortably, laid on his back, held up by hind elbows; staring at the lens of his worn laptop with a fierce gaze that he knew his clientele’s adored. A tousle of his hair would earn a token, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips would earn a new sponsor. Taehyung had decided early in his career that his client’s didn’t really need much inquest before sending hundreds of dollars into his bank account.

“I bought some new sunglasses,” He said, a playful smile and an arm reaching past his assortment of coloured and sizeable sex toys for the leopard patterned glasses he had bought the day before. “Do you like them?”

The chat varied answers such as ‘They suit your face shape’ to ‘They look good on you, but what would look better is my dick inside of you.’ Taehyung smiled sheepishly.

Playing with the hem of his pale shirt, Taehyung keened, “Just after my stream I read a manga from my favourite artist Junji Ito. Have you read Tomie?”

It was these small moments of quiet, beneath the safe confines of his clothes, having conversations with no one in particular, just before Taehyung dissolved into utter nakedness and desire, that he felt most at home.

Reality gnawed at his side, his skin being ignited raw under the bulbous heat lamps that had been an alternative to studio lights; his own reflection baring its teeth back at him. The green light was what reminded him that sex sells, and he was the product. He bartered nudity for money that he so desperately needed.

And with the thought of the bills that lay off-putting on a thin cement counter in his cinderblock apartment, Taehyung began to peel off his layers. Baring everything he had for men and women alike who knew him simply as ‘Spike’. As he got on all fours, grabbing for the dildo that seemed to be fan-favourite, he felt vulnerable.

He then poured his strawberry-scented lube over the expanse of rubber and turned, eyeing the lens with a smile, “I missed you.”

Taehyung’s studio and his apartment are separate, the room that he holds his camming sessions in the guest bedroom at the end of his hall. It felt like a dual life as he sat cross-legged, cheeto dust clinging at his fingers as he jammed at the controller in his grip. “Are you kidding me? That was a total headshot.”

“I’m afraid not, monsieur,” Seokjin laughed, throwing his arms behind his head in victory.

Taehyung threw the remote and stared at his character that remained lifeless across the screen. A hand diving for his soda, “The fact that I just lost to you of all people is a real blow to my honour.”

Jin with a quick intake of breath, “You wish it were a real blow.”

“I walked into that one didn’t I.”

“You did.”

Taehyung stood, shaking the remains of his dignity off of his sweatpants and reached for his laptop, opening Livegasms. 11 more sponsors since his last stream - just an hour before. He had racked up a total of 500,000 views and seeing the list of users who are most subscribed to on the site, he stood at number two.

He wouldn’t be able to surpass his ranking - never. Taehyung was not ashamed to admit that he kept up with the duo that hid under the alias “H.Y”. Every stream was utterly erotic, the man with raven hair bent over and gagged while his ashen-haired master used a paddle on him. They were breathtaking, their chemistry undeniable.

But Taehyung had something that they didn’t - a personality. Not only did Taehyung communicate with his viewers, but he included them in the process; adhering his stream to the requests in his chat. Taehyung understood that his viewers were sometimes lonely, so he spoke to them as if they were in the room. Honesty had gotten him to second place.

“Why do you check your profile so often?” Jin snorted, “I check mine once a week just to see if anyone still cares.”

Taehyung chewed at his lip, “Because this isn’t your only source of income, Jin.”

“I told you I could get you a job as a barista, you know, the coffee shop down the road.”

“I told you,” A beat, “I told you I don’t want to be a barista. You know what I want.”

Jin’s lips became a line, his brows furrowed. “You know if you ever need financial help, Tae, Namjoon and I would be happy to-”

“No.” Taehyung shook his head, eyes wide. “I never want to ask you of any more favours. You two have already done so much for me; I could never ask you for anything more.”

Seokjin hesitated before nodding, “Okay.”

A year before

The embarrassment that Taehyung had felt in that moment, the complete need to hide; to conceal the redness in his cheeks or to obscure the shake of his hand as they fell into his wallet.

“I’m sorry, you are a dollar short.”

He felt Seokjin and Namjoon’s pitiful eyes on him as Taehyung scoured his wallet - he knew it was empty. He heard the uttered sighs and moans of contempt as he stood in front of the cashier. Taehyung couldn’t afford a $3 coffee.

Before he muttered a faint, “Please cancel my order,” Namjoon had already slid a coin across the counter. Taehyung’s complexion took on the colour of rose as he stared at the tiles, counting the cracks. Namjoon wrapped his arm around Taehyung’s waist and guided him to a table, Jin waiting for their beverages.

How could Taehyung pay this month’s bills when he couldn’t even pay for an Americano?

“I’m moving back to Daegu.”

Namjoon grabbed for his hand, “Tae, please-”

“This can’t keep happening,” Taehyung laughed, bitterness biting at his tongue. “I got a notice of eviction a couple of days ago. I have no money for bills, groceries - the plumbing in the apartment has gone to shit and the landlord is threatening to take back his home. I’ll be homeless, Joon. I have to go back.”

Jin took a seat next to Namjoon, who spoke to Taehyung in a voice that resembled that of his father’s. Stable, constant. Taehyung would believe anything that tumbled through Namjoon’s lips. “If you get evicted, you stay at our house. We won’t let you go hungry. We won’t let you leave Seoul, we won’t let you leave your dreams behind, okay?”

Taehyung didn’t care that he could feel the eyes of onlookers staring at the warm tears that stained his cheeks, biting his finger to stop a sob wracking through his body. Jin rubbed at Taehyung’s hand that Namjoon held, “I,” Pause. “I think I have an idea that could help you.”

Jin tugged at his bottom lip, “When we met, I never really specified what my job was. Mostly because I was embarrassed, maybe because I was worried about scaring you away. I livestream through a website online, people donate to you, if they like you enough, even sponsor you with a premium subscription.”

Namjoon continued, “I help Seokjin with his streaming. I set up the lights in his studio and prepare; I do behind the scenes work.”

“Why would you be ashamed of that?” Taehyung couldn’t help the rapid beat of his heart - he could hear it in his throat. “How much do you get paid?”

“Even though I’m quite insignificant on the site, I make at least $7,000 a month,” Jin blushed. “I only have a few sponsors, but Joon and I don’t do it for the money; we don’t need to.”

Taehyung felt the excitement begin to bubble in his veins, eyebrow twitching. “I’ll start tonight.”

“Taehyung,” Namjoon started, hesitant. “I don’t think you understand what is streamed.”

A wall of cold filled his body. Realisation. “It’s sex, isn’t it?”

Jin chuckled, nervous. “Yeah. It might seem daunting, but I promise once you get past that vulnerability of being naked in front of people you can’t necessarily see, it’s exciting.”

Namjoon, “It’s fun, Taehyung.”

“And,” Jin stammered, raising an eyebrow at the man sitting next to him. “Is great for foreplay.”

“Oh, shut up,” Namjoon’s cheeks flushed pink.

“Taehyung, Namjoon watches every stream from the corner of my studio. When I first started, he put a pillow over his bulge.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, baby.”

Taehyung had begun to tune out as the couple began to bicker back and forth. Taehyung masturbating on camera, in front of thousand’s of people? Is that something anybody wanted to see? Would anybody watch him?

But, beggars can’t be choosers, can they?

“What’s the website.”

Namjoon smiled at him, as if he were a proud father. Seokjin said, “Livegasms. Be careful, Taehyung.”

He would only cam for a couple of months, until he racked up enough money to pay for his necessities. Just a couple of thousand dollars, $10,000 at most. Only a couple of months.

And then a couple of months turned into a year, livestreams becoming nearly daily. It was an obsession; zeros turning into ten’s and commas and slowly but surely going from 56th place to 42nd, now second. Taehyung now had the ability to buy supplementaries - not nearly the quality of other, richer, camboy’s, but he had them. He was now in a place of privilege; somewhere he hadn’t been since he could remember.

That is what kept Taehyung camming; the money.

But, that would be a lie. He couldn’t deny that the attention stroked his ego. The gifts that were sent to his P.O box, the ratings on his streams, the thought of men and women watching you.

That was why he was now sat in his studio, upon that same bed, naked. His skin looked akin to gilt as he stared at his monitor; hand moving up and down his length.

DoctorJames01: A little faster, Spike.

NM23: Your cock looks so good in your hands.

Sejin9203: I’m so hard.

It was more or less this same sentiment every stream. Something about his cock, something about the viewer’s cock, and then after they were finished, they would close Taehyung’s stream and continue with their lives.

Why did it make Taehyung feel so insignificant?

His head fell back against the softness of his pillow, face contorting as he began to pump faster. Taehyung felt that familiar tug in his core, reaching for it. He began to slow his pace, bringing his thumb to massage his weeping head with every drive of his hand.

He eyed the camera, his gaze fox-like. “You like it when I do it slow like this, don’t you?”

Adjunti39: yes.

2RedHot: you know daddy likes it slow.

BillDark: oh, fuck

Taehyung’s memory ignited in a scene he saw just last night on the channel ‘H.Y’. The raven haired boy with the pretty smile was tied to his bedroom post, “Please, Master, touch me.” The ashen-haired dominant’s veined hands were the only sentient component of his body in the shot, “Not yet, little.”

Taehyung felt his cock twitch in his hand.

He needed to come, and fast.

But, it had only been 30 minutes since the stream began. Surely he could hold off until the 40 minute mark; just a couple of thousand dollars more and he would finish.

“Yoo-Master, I need you,” He shook. Taehyung had watched the stream, focusing his attention on the submissive’s delicate fingers that twitched; his wrists blooming in purple and blue’s. “Hold on a little longer, darling. 10 more minutes.” The dominant swiped a finger over his head, which leaked and ballooned around the cock ring, the deep blush of his penis from the pressure.

In the wise words of ‘BillDark’: Oh, fuck. Suddenly, holding on might be harder than he thought.

Jeon Jeongguk had found himself once again positioned on his bed, navy blue sheets draped across bare skin that ignited as he teetered nimble fingers down the expanse of his stomach. Fleeting touch, nails rasping with delicacy. Teasing.

His MacBook was set to his right, Jeongguk’s eyes cursory on the screen. He was fixated on the feeling of his fingers on his pubic bone and a man’s voice. It was low, a rasp. “Fuck, oh.” Jeongguk’s cock twitched.

He was hard; the head was blushing. Dancing fingertips began to dawdle over his shaft, running lines across veins and running over his slit. He had to control himself from grabbing at himself and pumping, but he couldn’t do that until Spike did. He was edging and it was hot.

“What next?” Spike’s voice was breathy, Jeongguk knew his tact was running low.

He reached over and let his saliva-soaked fingers cavort against the keyboard.

Jjk97: put your fingers in your mouth for me.

He smiled, “My fingers, huh?”

Jeongguk simpered. His premium sponsorship wasn’t of waste.

Jjk97: is that a problem?

A smirk, “Not at all, baby.” And Jeongguk watched as Spike spread his legs, one foot on either side of the screen, and brought those fingers to his lips. He sucked. Jeongguk twitched.

With a fistful of his own cock in his hand, Jeongguk tapped at a button on the screen. An animation of a man with an obnoxious moustache holding a bag of money flicked across the screen and $100 was being transferred out of his account.

Jeongguk’s thumb swiped the precum off of the head of his cock and began flexing the concept of temptation, it wasn’t as if he was succumbing to the itch in his core, Jeongguk preferred to call it yielding. “Honey, can you come downstairs? Didn’t you say you start work at 9:30 today?” Jeongguk’s hands pumped faster.

It only took 1 minute and 39 seconds for cum to be dripping like royal icing off his hand. With sticky hands, Jeongguk pressed the familiar icon. This time, $1,000. “You have 5 minutes to get ready, Guk! Do you want me to come up there and get you myself?”

A message emerged in a bold font, red colouring. ‘Congratulations, @jjk97! You have become @SpikeSpiegel’s number one sponsor. We appreciate your care for Livegasms, cum again soon!’

Well, SpikeSpigel, Jeongguk thought. When will I become your Faye Valentine?

“You don’t understand,” Taehyung murmured. “I’m 2,304 subscribers from becoming first ranked.”

Namjoon scanned his cards, groaned, and drew 4 cards from the pile on the table. “Fuck you, Jin.”

A laugh from Seokjin. “It’s survival of the fittest and, baby, you know I’m fit.”

“Do you guys want to take this to another room or actually listen to me?” Taehyung shoved Jin and stole a sip of his beer; earning a ‘Gross, Taehyung. I don’t know what diseases your carrying.’

“So, yes, 2,304 subscribers away,” Namjoon prompted Taehyung for a follow-up.

“I don’t know,” Taehyung shrugged. “I never thought I could beat those two sex-fiends but I’m so close. Maybe I’m being too greedy, but I want to be number one.”

Jin flung a yellow 7 onto the archaic pile, “It’s fine to have a goal, Tae. But remember to be careful; don’t let your mindset be clouded.”

“I wouldn’t.”

Namjoon shared a glance with his boyfriend. “Tae, I have watched Jin cam for 5 years now. We know that the attention is nice and you are doing this with good intentions, to pay your bills. We don’t want you to feel as if this is a competition.”

Taehyung bared a grin at his best friends, collapsing onto the floor and enveloping each of their shoulders with his arm. “I appreciate that you care, I do. But maybe you two should focus on getting out of that 49th rank, huh?”

Jin slapped at Taehyung’s chest and Namjoon chuckled, “Asshole.”

Ding. “I’ll get it.”

Namjoon limped to the door, careful on his metal, make-shift leg. “Thank you,” He smiled as he took the package from the man on the other side. “Mr. Spiegel, you have a package, you heartthrob.”

“Please, don’t call me that outside of camming,” Taehyung groaned. “I was in my anime phase when I came up with that username.”

Condescending, “Sorry, didn’t I walk in on you watching hentai just last night?”

Taehyung grabbing the package from Namjoon, “Go to hell, Seokjin.” And then, “Tentacle porn is the shit.”

Namjoon sorted through Taehyung’s disorderly drawers and picked up a box-cutter, handing it to Taehyung who began to flay the cardboard. “It’s not going to be anything exciting, don’t get your lace panties in a twist. Last week I was sent a taxidermy mouse.”

But, inside of the macerated cardboard, was a sleek leather box. A gilded emblem was engraved on the center. J. Jin begun to shake at Taehyung’s shoulders, “I’m sorry, are you waiting for something in particular? Is this leisure time?”

Taehyung didn’t even retort as he flipped a gold latch, Namjoon’s breathy gasp in his ear. The interior was made of a red velvet that complemented the onyx leather of the packaging; but, sat restfully in the centre, the colour of a cherry, was an 8-inch dildo.

It was 20 minutes after the package arrived at Taehyung’s door that he scooted Seokjin and Namjoon out his door, placing the box made of slick hide on the end table next to his ‘bed’, next to his fleshlight collection. Taehyung wasn’t sure on whether to call it his bed; it was a prop - his studio was his set.

Camming was acting. Taehyung was the director, producer and actor. Where is his award-winning television show? He thought he would act best in a telenovela. He found himself watching those often as he flicked through his channels mid-morning, milk staining his chin and a lone coco-puff nestled into the crevice of his bulge.

FADE IN:

EXT. Taehyung’s weathered studio - NIGHT.

The apartment drywall has begun to crack and the red has nullified. A neon sign is alight behind him, it reads ‘What’s your poison?’

TAEHYUNG sits cross-legged, his own laptop sat between his legs. The frame is focused on his bulge and the curve of his lips. The man on the other side of the screen has a similar set-up - a sweating cupid’s bow and his boxy hand wrapped tight around a small penis. @JERRYM98’s tongue darts out to collect the perspiration.

JERRYM98 (hesitant)

Can you please take off your boxers.

TAEHYUNG

Anything. I am at your service.

Taehyung smiles. He feels the cut he had made last night in his lip tear - he tastes blood in his mouth as he begins to tug at his plaid boxers.

JERRYM98

A sharp intake of breath.

You’re beautiful.

TAEHYUNG

A modest blush.

Thank you, Jerry.

JERRYM98 (moaning)

I like it when you say my name.

Jerry began to tug at the aching fistful of muscle he had. Taehyung noticed that he could barely see the tip when his hand was wrapped around his dick - he wasn’t size shaming, but, under his observation, it was small.

TAEHYUNG

Taehyung spat into his hand and begun to pump his cock, a whimper forcing itself through his throat that was raw from the hot pho he had eaten with his friends 20 minutes before.

I’m so hard, Jerry. I want this to be your hand.

JERRYM98 (flustered)

Jerry’s face was flushed, a warm rose colouring his pasty cheeks. Taehyung noticed the skin had begun to droop on his neck. He had also noticed the sound of bacon sizzling and spitting on a pan. Jerry had a wife, probably children, too. But Jerry couldn’t tell his wife that he liked anal penetration like he could tell Taehyung. Taehyung remembered the first time Jerry had cammed him - “Don’t think I’m weird.” To which Taehyung replied, “Don’t worry, Jerry. I do, too.” Jerry had been a regular client since January.

Will you allow me to come now, sir?”

TAEHYUNG (with a smile)

Come for me, Jerry.

JERRYM98

And he did.

Taehyung looked to the monitor - it had only been 10 minutes. $6.79 each minute. That was not nearly enough money. God damn Jerry and his premature ejaculation issues - “I’m sorry, I came and it’s only been 2 minutes.” To which Taehyung replied with a forced grin, “Don’t worry, Jerry. I’m glad you enjoyed.”

This is what Taehyung’s life had become revolved around, what it had become centred around. Camming. This is what he had become dependent on. If he didn’t have his subscribers and his sponsors, who would be paying his bills? Who would be paying for the leak that had sprung from one of the pipes in his laundry? Jerry was paying his bills. God damnit, Jerry.

Mino was Monday. Jerry was Tuesday. And Sooyoung was Wednesday. And Bill was Thursday. Lochi, Mateo, Kjell. Each day was dedicated to a client. Each day ran the same script with the same actors with the same equipment that never seemed to work.

He was the star of his own show.

Maybe he had watched too many telenovela’s.

Every night, each day, he read the script he had created with passion. With lust. With eagerness. Whatever his client had requested of him. It was always the same. As Taehyung heard the faint click of his webcam being turned off, he began to cry.

yeolgu: instead of masturbating, leak your skincare routine.

BlueLightFairy: Put a few fingers in.

jason672: i just came all over my screen.

A scroll, more messages that are more or less akin to that above. What had Taehyung been expecting? A comment with depth? Maybe he should have stuck to Goodreads back in 2014; where people reviewed books as if they had any experience with literature other than YA novels where the protagonist saved the world - at a cost!

But reviewing books doesn’t give you as much bank as this does.

So, Taehyung continued scrolling.

His recent livestream had $8,000 being directed into his account. That should be enough to pay this months rent and the pipe that had sprung a leak in his laundry. The pipe reminded him of himself. A little broken, a little cheap, and filled with water that had been poisoned by the government. Okay, you’re right. Taehyung wasn’t cheap! He charged subscribers $19.99 a month!

Taehyung jabbed at the keys of his laptop that began to burn at the base of his stomach. When his emails began loading, the screen went black and he could see his double chin in the reflection. He sat up a little higher on his bed.

29 unread emails.

He estimated that 24 of those emails were directed from Livegasms. Something automated, something about his monthly statistics. The other 5 were probably from the online shops that he was inclined to sponsor, but never quite did.

And, he would have been right. Except 1 of those in-stores had given up on him and had replaced itself with an email that read [email protected].

With eager eyes, Taehyung’s cursor tapped at the file. It was short, the font seemed small and the words were written in Times New Roman. A good choice, classic.

Spike,

Did you enjoy my gift?

The dildo he had recieved in an oak box, engraved in goldstone. J. This was its donor. What an ominous email; who did this guy think he was? Does he think that he plays the dark, brooding character in a work of fiction? Maybe J should head to Goodreads instead.

Taehyung began to type back:

i did enjoy my gift, thank you. i assume you are a sponsor and i’d like to thank you for being so supportive of my streams! i’d love to private cam with you one day, if you’d like?

spike x

Taehyung waited, 5 minutes passing. He decided to play Fleetwood Mac as he scrolled through twitter - a chuckle as he searches his own name, finding only porn profiles posting gifs of him in every angle. No one would tweet publically about someone like him, he was a guilty pleasure. Something that they kept hidden, something that they opened in a private browser and deleting the history. Taehyung liked that.

It was 45 minutes later that ‘J’ emailed him back.

Spike,

I don’t do private sessions, I would rather do it auditory.

That wasn’t uncommon, people being too timid to show their face. People would rather wear a mask when doing something risky, just in case. Some people are embarrassed. It’s just how it works. So Taehyung replies:

of course, whatever makes you feel most comfortable! would you like me to schedule an appointment?

An appointment, like he was sitting front desk at an orthodontist. So would you like me to book an appointment for braces, surgery or hearing me masturbate? The latter? Sure! Come back at 10:15.

Business is business.

Sunday. 5:30pm.

Short, sweet and to the point. Taehyung didn’t know whether he was offended or glad.

So Taehyung set a reminder in his phone that he was expecting a customer at that time. Sunday in the afternoon, he will be hearing the man who sent him a blood red cherry dildo. Taehyung would thank him, then tap at his phone and begin to play a recording he had filmed a year ago, the man will come in his pants and Taehyung will be $3,000 richer.

Acting is pretending. It was all apart of the script.

Sunday, 5:28.

Taehyung was dressed immaculately: striped pyjama bottoms with his loose, bleach-stained shirt that has been through the works. He brought himself a snack for the ride, a bowl of chopped apples sat in a bowl next to his butt plugs; the apples were in quarters.

Taehyung turned on his laptop, and pressed Livegasms. J’s icon was in green, he was online. So, Taehyung moved his cursor to the call button and he was now live.

“J?”

“Spike.”

His voice was smooth, it had a slight lilt to it. He was Korean, he wasn’t expecting that. Why had he been expecting someone from the Nordic, somewhere in Europe.

Taehyung coughed, “Thank you for your gift, I’ve used it well.”

A laugh, “I’m glad.”

His voice was nice, Taehyung had concluded. “Do you have any requests for today?”

A beat. “Didn’t you get my gift?”

“Gift?”

Taehyung could sense he was smiling, “Yeah. I sent it a few days ago. I thought you would have it by now.”

“Where are you from?”

Another pause. It sounded as though he was picking his words with the utmost care, “I moved to Seoul a few years ago, three if you’re counting. I’m a Busan guy.”

Taehyung could hear the quiet distinction in his tone, his satoori blending with his new Seoul dialect. It was cute. “I’m a Daegu guy.” Why was Taehyung telling him this? “I moved to Seoul 4 years ago.”

“Oh,” His tone is light. “Looks like we’re both new to the scene.”

“Looks like it.” Taehyung enjoyed this. It wasn’t like how he private cammed with Jerry, this guy didn’t talk about his kids and how they were doing well in school. “What’s your name?”

A halt on his tongue. He breathes, “What’s your name, Spike Spiegel?”

Why did Taehyung feel the need to answer him, to give in to that honeyed tone? Why did he find himself saying, “Taehyung. Kim Taehyung.”

And why did he feel so giddy when he heard the man on the other line laugh, “I’m Jeon Jeongguk of Busan, at your most kindred service.”

Taehyung wanted to say that he was wrong, that it was actually himself who was at Jeongguk’s service. But he didn’t. All he said was, “Nice to meet you.”

Taehyung had devoted a half of an hour to Jeon Jeongguk, each day he brought his hunk of a laptop into his kitchen and sat on a stool. Listening to his solid voice talk about the engineering course that he was taking. Taehyung had begun to tell Jeongguk that he loved acting. Jeongguk asked him why he hadn’t been cast in a kdrama, he had said his visuals were like no other. Taehyung blushed.

“I’ve auditioned for every show on the market, every movie - I’ve tried it. They don’t seem to like my tone, I don’t know,” Taehyung sighed.

Jeongguk’s voice soothed that knot in Taehyung’s stomach, “Well, I think you’re pretty great.”

A flutter, a laugh. “I guess you’re alright, too.”

“Decent.”

“Tolerable.”

Jeongguk, “A little below average.”

And this is how those 30 minutes went by, banter, learning new information about one another. Jeongguk didn’t want to hear Taehyung masturbate, he just wanted to know who he was.

That could have been a red flag, he could be talking to a 49 year old man that’s just so overwhelmingly lonely that he had took on a persona of a college student. But Jeongguk was kind, he was telling. Taehyung trusted him. It had been 3 weeks since they had first ‘met’.

A smile was caught in his tone, “Did you get my gift today?”

Taehyung couldn’t help but grin back, “Yes. I can’t believe you sometimes. I told you not to waste your money on me.”

“You needed it,” Jeongguk laughed. “I’m not one to judge, but the lighting you had was orange. You looked like you belong in a pornographic spoof of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

“Now that’s something I would watch.”

Taehyung could heard Jeongguk beat at his controller, his gaming console beeping and blubbering at his every move. “Have you set them up? I want to see them on tonight’s stream.”

Jeongguk still watches every one of Taehyung’s streams and still pays for these private sessions despite Taehyung’s protests. Jeongguk had said, “Consider this payment for the amount of times you’ve made me come.”

Which, when you think about it, isn’t very romantic. But Jeongguk has a romantic tongue and can weave his words in a way that made Taehyung’s fingers begin to shake. Taehyung decided that the two fell into two categories: the heartbreaker, and the heartbroken. And Taehyung thought that he wouldn’t mind if his heart was broken by Jeon Jeongguk.

He wouldn’t mind at all.

It had now been a month and a half, and Taehyung felt himself getting nervous all over again. This man had only shown him his voice, yet Taehyung had shown him everything. He had opened himself to him. He had allowed him inside of his bed, mind and heart. What if he was 49 years old and living in his mother’s basement? What if he was actually a girl?

Would he politely decline and say that he indeed discovered he didn’t like the concept of a vagina when he saw Yoonji’s that one time in eighth grade? Would female Jeon Jeongguk even want to hear the story of how he got flaccid when the school’s most popular student undressed for him? Taehyung didn’t think female Jeongguk would.

So Taehyung spent his days imagining Choi Min-ho of Shinee. He hoped it was an accurate depiction.

“Meet me.”

Taehyung balked, “Excuse me?”

“I want to meet you. Do you want to meet me?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

Jeongguk attempted to laugh. He was nervous, Taehyung could hear it. “Then let’s do it. Today. Are you free?”

He was rambling, talking too fast, but Taehyung understood him. Why did he begin to fidget with the loose thread from his sweater? “I’m always free. I’m always free for you.”

Taehyung was being corny, but he wasn’t lying. He felt Jeongguk ease. “Would you like to meet for coffee at 12? At Coffee Libre, it’s in Yeonnam-Dong.”

“Okay,” A pause. “Dress up for me.”

Jeongguk chuckled, “Beg for it.”

Taehyung got off of the 637 with the sun caressing his golden skin, as if he had bathed in it. It was a nice day, sunny. Not too humid; just enough to keep the palm of his hands sweaty for a reason other than nerves.

Because, if Taehyung were to admit it, he was a little bit nervous.

Was this a date? Will Choi Min-ho of Shinee be sat window seat of a coffee shop, awaiting him? Will it actually be a woman that thought he may be bisexual - hint: he most definitely favoured a penis. Will it be a jaded middle-aged finance executive with a fetish for roleplay?

What had Taehyung gotten himself into?

So, Taehyung pulled at his worn sweater - he hadn’t thought this choice through: what would he do if he was hot later in the day? Would he roll up his sleeves? What if he was too cold? He didn’t bring an extra coat - and walked 28 steps to the entrance of the coffee shop, hearing a bell chime above his head.

He felt the nervousness tug at his skin and his mouth felt akin to cotton.

But, he heard a honeyed voice call, “Taehyung?”

And Taehyung turned and saw the body that the voice had emitted from. It was not Choi Min-ho, and it was not a young female and it was not a bitter sales executive. It was a young boy with a large build, mousy hair flat against his forehead. His eyes were hued chocolate brown.

“Jeon Jeongguk.”

He smiled.

Taehyung felt his heart skip a beat.

Jeongguk had ordered Taehyung and himself an Americano. Again, Taehyung tried to object, but Jeongguk had already swiped his card and answered him with a grin.

They sipped their coffees in silence, yet, it wasn’t palpable. It didn’t have the awkward nerve of a first date. It was comfortable, and Taehyung felt his breath begin to fall in line with Jeongguk’s. They were in sync - and he truly wished that they had met before the 90’s, because they were the pair that deserved the title the most.

“Was I what you were expecting?” Jeongguk asked, tentative.

Taehyung grinned as he thought of the Shinee poster that clung to the drywall of his bedroom, “You’re better.” Jeongguk flushed. So did Taehyung. A beat, “So, how did you find me?”

Jeongguk hid his face behind his straw, and Taehyung couldn’t decide if Jeongguk was incredibly cute or unbearably sexy. “I don’t know, I was horny. Pornhub is boring and I don’t like things that are staged. It feels wrong to watch.” He smiled, “But then I found Livegasms and it just- I don’t know. It turned me on to see someone live, without a script telling them when to moan.”

Taehyung felt himself curl in on himself. He wanted to tell Jeongguk that everyone has a script, that everyone was acting - no matter what their industry happened to be. Everything wasn’t as authentic as it seemed. But all he said was, “I agree.”

Jeongguk continued, “Then I was looking at the different profiles that were ranked top 50 and ‘H.Y’ were too much for me; I felt awkward watching them, maybe because their chemistry was too intense for me. And then I found you and I - I apologise for being crude - had never come that hard in my life.”

Taehyung simpered.

“You were just so organic and you talked as if I was there with you, and you were just so pretty. I sometimes just watched you to watch you, without touching myself. You were a nice presence.” Jeongguk hid his face, “This probably sounds creepy.”

A grab of his hands from across the table, Jeongguk’s hand felt warm in his. They were a little damp and Taehyung felt giddy at the thought that he was nervous as well. “Thank you, really. It means a lot to me.”

Jeongguk looked down at their intertwined hands, and smiled. A smile that was painted across his entire face. His eyes began to crinkle on the ends and his teeth were big and bright and he was lovely.

Taehyung felt his stomach turn.

That night he moved to his studio with ease, it’s cheesy but he did have a skip in his step. A bounce. Jeongguk had kissed his cheek goodbye and Taehyung loved the velvet feel of his lips on his skin. He thought of those lips elsewhere.

Which helped him later on in the evening as he sat ass up, knees digging at the mattress. He was using some of the toys that Jeongguk had sent while they were still doing sessions - a new dildo except this one was 8 inches with a pink accent, a buttplug that sparkled red, and a cock ring that he hadn’t really liked the thought of.

He was now rocking back and forth against his dildo and, for once, it didn’t feel forced. It was a needed release. Taehyung thought of Jeongguk and his dick.

LOO_mi: take it all

TraTroy: I wish that was me inside of you…

“It could be, Troy,” Taehyung smirked. “If you beg for it.”

A money bag flew across his screen, just one of many. They loved it tonight. They were eating him up.

So, Taehyung went deeper and felt his stomach tie itself into knots that were unraveling as he bounced. “Oh, fuck, yeah.”

Mrsyager11: this is fucking hot and i dont even watch gay porn

YAOI69666: i want you to moan my name, daddy xD

Taehyung’s phone buzzed, and as he looked over, he saw Jeongguk’s name alight on his screen.

Jeongguk: you’re doing good baby x

And Taehyung came.

Then he talked to the camera, thinking about what Jeongguk would do to him if he were here. How he would pound into him. How Taehyung wanted his lips around Jeongguk’s dick nearly as much as he wanted to breath.

And Taehyung was hard again.

And then Taehyung came, again.

An hour passes and Taehyung is $30,000 richer and is so close to first ranking that he can almost taste it - which brings him back to thinking about Jeongguk and how much he wanted to taste him.

Damn you, Jeongguk. Damn you, Jerry. He has no reason to damn Jerry, but he will anyway - just because he can.

Taehyung had exchanged numbers with Jeongguk that day at the coffee shop, which was both a gift and a curse because he got crude messages such as:

Jeongguk: do you like touching yourself to the thought of me?

Jeongguk: ahhh~ you look so pretty with your legs spread for me..

And last, but certainly not least - still making his toes curl,

Jeongguk: i always wanted to see how you looked with my cum dripping off of you x

Taehyung had discovered that Jeongguk had a thing for teasing, he always used his words. Today was no different, because at 4:48 when the sun was just beginning to bid its feeble goodbyes, Taehyung’s phone called to him.

Jeongguk: why don’t you put that mouth to use, huh?

And that was when Taehyung finally said:

Taehyung: then come over to my apartment and maybe i will.. you know where i am

And that was when Jeongguk finally said:

Jeongguk: i’m on my way

And that was when the reality finally kicked in and Taehyung felt fierce nerves ignite in his core; it had been a while since he had someone over at his house other than Namjoon and Jin. He became a human vacuum as he began to run across the distance of his shoe-box apartment and pick up lone Cheeto’s and old Elvis and New Kid’s on the Block cd’s. His box set of La Reina del Sur stayed hidden beneath his coffee table.

Wait a second, Taehyung thought. I’ve been looking for these headphones everywhere!

The cleaning montage ensued for a total of 7 minutes after that, and he got changed out of his sweatshirt that hasn’t made its way to the laundromat in 2 weeks and into a loose white shirt. Enough to look put together, but careless - as if he didn’t try to dress up for Jeongguk.

Taehyung set up two glasses with various different types of alcohols of choice - Taehyung wasn’t sure whether Jeongguk was a scotch man or a cocktail. He assumed cocktail, just because he giggled when he thought of it. He thought Jeongguk would laugh, too.

When Jeongguk arrived, it was 5:23. He was late but who was counting? When Taehyung opened the door, the whiskey he had drank prior calmed the shake of his fingers. “Hey!” Was a lost word, completely forgotten when Taehyung eyed the man in front of him. A black shirt that hung loose on his built form, black jeans that cascaded down thick legs. Jeon Jeongguk of Busan was dangerous.

“Hey, Spike,” Jeongguk smiled.

Taehyung shoved him with a chuckle, “Come inside or I’ll leave you out there to wither.”

Jeongguk shook his head and walked through the doorway, his hand brushing Taehyung’s. “Your apartment is cute.”

Taehyung shut the door behind him and followed suit, allowing Jeongguk to sit at the counter as Taehyung motions to the bottles in front of him, “So, señor, what’s your poison?”

Jeongguk flushed, “I, uh, actually bought my own.” He dug into his bag, “I only like a few different types of alcohol, I’m a sucker for something sweet.” He pulled out a cherry flavoured Schnapps.

“You got a thing for fruity drinks, huh?” Taehyung questioned, opening his own bottle of Soju. “And cherries?”

Jeongguk smirked, “Maybe. You might get to answer that question tonight.”

Taehyung smiled in return, raising his glass to Jeongguk with a raised brow. Tonight might just be the night of nights.

Cue the High School Music track.

Jeon Jeongguk had a penchant for trouble, and that is why he found himself in stranger’s beds and at the back of club’s with his daddy’s card in hand. But today he found himself in a haze, his vision clearly deceiving him as he fell back against the bed, hitting his head on the headboard and hearing a giggle, “Sorry.”

Jeongguk, instead of replying, grabbed Taehyung by his shirt collar and pulled him down on top of him. Their lips meeting in a flurry of open-mouthed kisses and tongue. Taehyung was hot, his skin ablaze on his own. He smelt of white chocolate and sweat; a combination he wasn’t aware that he liked until now.

Taehyung’s hands wandered aimlessly down Jeongguk’s body, his mouth finding every square inch of bare skin his kisses could brand. “I can’t believe you’re submissive.” A breath and a suck on his jaw, “I was so sure you were going to spank me tonight.”

Jeongguk chuckled, the drunken chuckle that gurgled and was too loud. “I’m sorry, were you disappointed?”

Taehyung gasped up at him, his eyes wide and mouth slick with saliva, “Are you kidding?” A lilt of his lips, “Now I get to see you beg for me.”

Jeongguk groaned.

Taehyung began to make his way down his body, pulling Jeongguk’s shirt over his head and bleating at the sight. “So fucking hot.” He began to bite at his tender skin, sucking bruises into patches as if Jeongguk’s body was made for him. Taehyung pinched at his nipples and when a moan emitted from Jeongguk, he smiled. “Sensitive?”

“God, you talk a lot,” Jeongguk sighed, pushing Taehyung’s head back onto his chest.

As he swirled a tongue around the bud of Jeongguk’s nipple, Taehyung’s brows knitted together, “And you’re quite assertive for a bottom.”

Jeongguk got up on hind elbows and looked down at Taehyung as he palmed his bulge through his pants, “What are you going to do about it, daddy? Aren’t you going to punish me?”

It was when Taehyung’s eyes became half-lidded, teeth tugging at his blushing lips, that Jeongguk might have regretted his decision. “You want to play that game, do you?”

Keyword: might.

Taehyung awoke to being wrapped up in arms that were slightly larger than his own - maybe the gym was an option that he should take up, pizza wasn’t a viable option when Jeon Jeongguk was next to you, putting you to utter shame. Taehyung was naked beneath the thin quilt and so was his partner. He looked down at his body and traced the bruises and marks of his own making.

They bloomed blue and purple and Taehyung wondered how they could look so beautiful as the petals of capillaries branched at on his tan skin. Jeongguk was beautiful, lovely. Taehyung had the urge to trace his lips with his tongue, bite at his plush bottom lip.

Where did this libido come from and why was it close to non-existent when he actually needed it in front of the camera?

As if he was summoned, Jeongguk’s eyes began to flutter open and he groaned as the sunlight that filtered through the window’s hit them. He was quite lovely bathed in sunlight. It made his iris’ look like gilt. “Good morning, baby.”

“Good morning, sunshine. How are you feeling?” Taehyung laughed, digging his face further into his neck.

Jeongguk, once again, as if this was the only response he emitted, groaned. “Like I just got my brains fucked out?”

Taehyung let a finger run against Jeongguk’s lips, they felt chapped and then he darted a perilous tongue out, wetting them. “Good.”

A warm smile, one that made Taehyung feel like his body had just melted beneath the warmth of the sun. Jeongguk’s hands reach for his and they are intertwined, as if that was how it was meant to be. As if this was the piece of the puzzle that he believed was lost under his grandfather’s couch; he found it. He found someone that he fit with. Taehyung finally found somebody that he believed would stay.

“Do you know how beautiful you look right now?” Jeongguk says, using the hand that was wrapped around his shoulder to thread through Taehyung’s hair.

Taehyung wanted to say, no. You are beautiful. I was just thinking of how entirely lovely, beautiful, your presence was. You can’t say that I’m beautiful, you are. But all he said was, “I can only imagine.”

They had made themselves ‘Facebook official’ just a month ago. 78 likes and 33 comments. Most were from extra’s that he had worked on commercials with, Namjoon and Jin commented twice each. Taehyung’s family didn’t.

It wasn’t as though he was expecting it, he hadn’t seen them in 5 years. He just felt sad, that was all. He missed his sister.

“Baby, don’t worry.” Jeongguk ruffled his hair as he massaged shampoo into the root of Taehyung’s hair. “You have better people in your life, people that have opinions that actually matter.”

“My families opinion matters,” Taehyung murmured.

Jeongguk got the hand-held shower head and began to wash the soap suds from his boyfriend’s hair. “Of course it does. But not when it gets in the way of your happiness, you know?”

Taehyung agreed, what else was he to do?

Jeongguk felt the unease in Taehyung as if he had made himself a home in his mind. He got down on his knees and turned Taehyung around so his lips were hovering by the head of Taehyung’s cock. “Here, let me.”

And, he did.

He let Jeongguk pull moans from the back of his throat with every bob of his head, he let Jeongguk build a house within the confines of his heart. He let himself fall in love with Jeongguk.

He did.

Falling in love, Taehyung had concluded, was holding hands and quiet laughter. It was when the sky was dark and provided a blanket as they laid in bed, wrapped up in each others warmth. It was when you woke up in the morning with saliva lining your chin and stained on the pillow, hair sticking to your forehead. It was when they loved you anyway.

Because love was not like you see in the movies, when the main character looked over a vast sunset, fireworks beginning to spark in the distance. Love is steady and it beat like a human heart.

Love was palpable and Taehyung didn’t even have to tell Jeongguk he had fallen in love, because he knew.

Because you can see love.

You see love wherever you go.

This was the first time that Taehyung had realised this, and it was beautiful.

Namjoon and Jin had already seen Taehyung’s new status update and had jumped onto their shared group chat to hear the news. Taehyung imagined them both laid on their stomach’s, twirling a phone cord around their fingers as they heard the latest gossip about the dramas of high school.

Jin: holy shit, DUDE! he is hot

Namjoon: and i am nothing…. a ceaseless being….. i dont exist do i

Jin: you’re so dramatic i compliment you every day

Namjoon: you compliment me at least 3 times a week on a good week ;;

Jin: you’re my boyfriend thats different??? i dont have to compliment you i chose you for a reason

Namjoon: ‘chose’........... as if im a pokemon!

Jin: I HAVE LITERALLY NEVER EVER MET ANYONE AS DRAMATIC AS YOU!!!

Namjoon: i feel like the dictionary needs to redefine literally people are using it too liberally nowadays

Taehyung: ?????????????

“You know your sperm will fry in that position, right?” Jeongguk commented as he passed Taehyung who was sat in the crease of his sofa in only his boxers, laptop laid across his groin.

“Not that I need them anyway,” Taehyung said, crushed cashews flying from his mouth. Jeongguk sat beside him and stared at the telenovela that was playing on the television. “I swear to God, we have watched this episode more than once.”

“Probably,” Taehyung shrugged. Jeongguk was bored, he could tell. “You can put something else on, I’m not watching it right now. Put on Cowboy Bebop.”

Jeongguk shook his head and rested it on his shoulder, looking down at the screen. “What’cha looking at?”

“Stats,” Taehyung said as he dug slender fingers around the cashew package. “This month was good. I’ve gotten 750 new subscribers. 38,000 dollars, too.” Taehyung laughed and looked at Jeongguk, “That is probably weekend spending money for you, isn’t it?”

Jeongguk didn’t laugh, saying, “I guess.”

“You know that I’m 1,000 subscribers behind ‘H.Y’ now?” He grinned. “We are so close.”

“Why do you care? Ranking doesn’t really give you any more money, does it?”

Taehyung felt that like a jab and he didn’t know why. “Well, no. But I want to be number one. Maybe it’s a pride thing.”

“Maybe.”

1,000. One thousand. Ten 100’s. Taehyung was so close. So close, it was nearly in his grasp. Just a sprint to the finish line. He could win. Just one last sprint.

And that’s when it hit him.

Taehyung wasn’t expecting that response. He was expecting something of the many scenarios in his head, something like: ‘Fuck, no’ or ‘Are you insane?”

He wasn’t expecting, a hint of a smile playing on Jeon Jeongguk’s sinful lips, “I thought you’d never ask.”

But, Jeongguk thought that all Taehyung had to do was turn on the webcam and they would be live. He didn’t expect that Taehyung had to fix the lighting stands to appeal to their positions, he didn’t expect that he had to wear foundation to make them look less tired and he sure as hell didn’t expect to wear a specific pair of undergarments the colour of the blood of a cherry. “They don’t even fit,” Jeongguk groaned.

Taehyung eyed Jeongguk’s crotch, analyzing the situation at hand. “They don’t,” With a smile, “But doesn’t that make it even more appealing?”

A pout, “What happened to leaving things to the imagination?”

“An intermittent concept,” Taehyung said, patting his back and guiding him into his camming room.

Jeongguk wasn’t as thrilled with the concept as he eyed the camera and the glare of the lights. He wasn’t as thrilled as he looked down at the flimsy fabric that covered his junk.

“It’s not as appealing as watching, is it?” Taehyung said as he sat down on the mattress.

Jeongguk attempted a smile, “I guess.”

He was stiff, his back erect and, look, he might just be camera-shy, but his testicles were reclining back into the fabric of his underpants. If this stream bombs, he may lose his subscribers.

“Look at me,” Taehyung says, using his slender fingers to wrap around Jeongguk’s strong jaw, turning him so their eyes meet. “Don’t be nervous, if you ever want to stop, you know the safe word.”

Jeongguk nodded.

“Just think of it as an intimate night with me. The cameras aren’t there, okay?”

He took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders. “I’ll try. I’m sorry if I’m bad.”

Taehyung rubbed his hand against Jeongguk’s and nodded to him - he nodded back. And Taehyung reached over and turned on his computer and started the stream.

Live.

“Hey, guys,” Taehyung smiled. “This is Spike, here. I’ve got a special guest today! This is my handsome boyfriend, Faye.”

Jeongguk smiled a lipless grin at the camera, “Valentine.”

“What would you like to see us do today?”

LexiSexi: pummel him

Heeji: cock ring please ;-;

MOJOJO: I want you to put your big dick in his tight asshole…

Jeongguk chuckled as he watched the chat come to life, “Mojojo, you are my type of man.”

He began to interact with the chat, answering his subscriber’s questions as if this was his own cam show. He was a natural, like he was born to be in front of an audience. Taehyung wondered if he was an idol in his past life. “Would you like us to get started?”

HentaiXD: I’ve got the vaseline ready

Hiphopluvr: HURRY UP AND GET TO IT

Florence: mmmm yes

So Taehyung decided that he must take control of the situation, pulling Jeongguk onto his lap and lathering his face in open mouthed kisses. Full of tongue, sloppy. Faux passion. The kind of kiss that you see on staged porn sites. Taehyung felt Jeongguk still on top of him, and he stopped.

Pulling away, Taehyung raised an eyebrow at Jeongguk, who only looked down at him with a tentative smile. He leaned in to Taehyung and pressed gentle lips against his, kissing him with passion that wasn’t in the script. He kissed Taehyung like he meant it.

Because he did.

Because Taehyung forgot that they were in love.

And then, as corny as it sounds, the cameras begun to fade away. The messages and money were still becoming animations dancing across the screen, but Taehyung didn’t notice this time. He was wrapped up in Jeon Jeongguk of Busan.

They were both in skin tight thongs and Taehyung could feel Jeongguk’s bulge against his own, he moaned. “God, I want you so bad.”

“I want you too, daddy.”

A growl, “Fuck.”

And Taehyung flipped Jeongguk so his strong back was against his torso, pulling each of their underwear off of their sweaty bodies. Taehyung tugged at the cherry red butt plug that he had prepped Jeongguk with 3 hours ago. He moaned as it stretched him out. “You want my dick, baby? Do you want me to fuck your brains out? Beg for it, slut.”

Jeongguk rocked his dick against Taehyung’s thigh and whimpered, Taehyung tutted in response. “I’ll let you off with a warning.” Reaching his hand around, gripping Jeongguk’s cock in his hand and squeezing it, earning another wail. “Only I touch you.”

“I want you.”

Taehyung sat back on his hands, a raise of an eyebrow, “I’m sorry? I didn’t quite hear you.”

Jeongguk exhaled, “Please, daddy, I want your cock inside of me. I want you to make sure I forget my own name.”

Taehyung, please, “Then bend over, baby. Hold on.” And Jeongguk obeyed and got on his hands and knees, Taehyung pulling him into centre frame and getting on his knees. Taehyung pulled out the plug, slowly, enjoying the sound of strong Jeongguk’s whimpers. “You feeling empty, pet?”

Jeongguk nodded with a pout. Taehyung coated his fingers in cherry flavoured lube and began to circle his hole.

“You want me to fill you back up?”

And it was a rhetorical question because Taehyung had removed his fingers and braced himself with his hands against Jeongguk’s waist, thrusting inside of him. “Fuck.”

Jeongguk’s moans were the stuff of porn director’s wet dreams as Taehyung pounded himself inside of him, rolling his hips against Jeongguk’s damp skin. The room echoed the sound of skin slapping skin, and Taehyung wished that this was the soundtrack to his biography. The sound of Taehyung’s hips smashing against Jeongguk’s ass would be on his own movie score, it was that beautiful.

“Aren’t you showing the camera how much of a cockslut you are for me, huh, baby?” Taehyung stuttered.

“Yes,” Jeongguk sniveled. “Only for you, daddy.”

Only for you.

He was only for me.

It was a thought that put him at ease.

Taehyung bent over Jeongguk’s back and reached a hand to his throat, wrapping a large hand around his neck. “Good, pet. All mine.”

Jeongguk rocked back into Taehyung’s body and let one of his hands wander to his aching cock, palming over it, mewling at the sensory overload.

“You’re so desperate to get off, aren’t you?” Taehyung tightened his grip on his throat, biting at the skin of his back. “So needy; a whore.”

Moving his hands away from Jeongguk’s throat to push two fingers into his mouth, watching him suck and bob on them through the monitor, “Fuck, you’re hot.”

And Taehyung was lost in the thought of how perfect this moment was, how perfect it felt to be inside of Jeon Jeongguk. How perfect their relationship was. He wished he could live in it forever.

“Come for me, baby.”

The first livestream he had filmed with Jeongguk had blown up the site; people loved the fact that Spike Spiegel had a hot new thing that he shared with them. It was now the most viewed camshow on Livegasms, topping ‘H.Y’s iconic strip tease that lead to intense heavy petting.

Jeongguk had cammed with Taehyung 9 more times after their first stream, each stream earning more sponsors, more subscribers.

Jeongguk used his credit card to upgrade the studio; painting the walls red and hanging his own art on the walls. Being the brat he is, his complaints about the cheap mattress lead to them heading to IKEA for a new one.

The internet couldn’t resist Jeon Jeongguk and Taehyung couldn’t help but agree as he watched his bare back contort as he used the spatula to flip a golden egg.

Taehyung eyed the top spot. 150 subscribers away. And, by God, would he do anything to get it.

Namjoon and Jin weren’t over as much as they had been in the past, Taehyung found himself missing ‘Sunday game night’ to fuck Jeongguk live for tens of thousands of people. It wasn’t a hard decision.

But Taehyung had texted them:

Taehyung: how about we rename it to saturday game night?????? come over tonight

Jin: you know tae we arent here just when you need us!!! we aren’t pushovers!!!

Namjoon: as dramatic as jin is being…. he is right tae…… you can’t just have us when you want us

Taehyung: i’ve got uno

A pause.

Jin: okay what time do you want us there?

Namjoon and Jin were Taehyung’s pseudo father figures. He admired them, the two of them were there for him when no one else was. They were his only friends in Seoul.

So it wasn’t surprising when they weren’t as welcoming when they met Jeongguk. Jin stood with crossed arms, looking him up and down and reaching a manicured hand over to him. “It’s Kim Seokjin.”

Namjoon looked embarrassed and closed his eyes, attempting to smile at Jeongguk, “Sorry about him. Kim Namjoon.”

Jeongguk was shy, he was polite, so all he did was nod and smile back. Taehyung attempted to cut the tension, “Uh, uno?”

It was hard, making small talk between the four of them. Seokjin normally was bold enough to speak without censoring himself in front of strangers, but today, he was quiet. Namjoon, too. He tried to answer Taehyung’s questions about the weather, laughing it off.

It hurt.

“Pick up 4, asshole,” Taehyung pounded against Jin’s back.

Jin picked up 4. He didn’t even have a retort for Taehyung.

Jeongguk was sat on the couch, on his phone, only putting down cards when prompted. He wasn’t exactly making the best of impressions. Taehyung hit his shin, “Your turn, baby.” Jeongguk put down one of his cards, still staring down at his phone screen. Taehyung inhaled, feeling irritation begin to bubble inside of him, “That’s a 9. If you want to change colours you have to have the same number, and the one thats on top is a 6. Look at where the line is.”

Jeongguk shrugged and picked up another card.

Taehyung wanted to scream.

Namjoon looked over at Taehyung, and he wondered whether he could tell that Taehyung was thinking that he would much rather be watching a telenovela. “So, Taehyung, have you seen the rookie on Livegasms?”

Taehyung thanked Namjoon wordlessly, “No. Who is it?”

“I don’t know, really,” He said. “His name is Park Jimin. I don’t even know if he went under an alias or if it’s his real name. He went from rank 87 to 5 in less than 2 months.”

A look, “How?”

Jin with a bitter tone, “Who knows, you know? Who knows?”

“Have you watched his streams?” Taehyung questioned.

Namjoon was tight-lipped. “Yeah, he is really good. He is submissive. The small type. Everyone loves his ass.”

“Maybe I need to get some tips,” Taehyung laughed to which Jin intterupted with, “Shut up. You’re great at what you do. You’re about to pass the most iconic cammers on the site.”

A shrug, “I guess.”

Jeongguk got up, walking to the front door to slip on his shoes. Walking back, he kisses Taehyung on the cheek. “Sorry, love. The guys in my group project at the college need me to fix a bug in the computers. You’d think engineers would know how to do it themselves, right?”

“Yeah, you’d think,” Jin smiled.

Jeongguk smiled in return, “Nice to meet you. And Namjoon. I’ll see you soon?”

“I hope,” Namjoon said. He seemed genuine. Taehyung always knew that Namjoon was a good person. Someone people could rely on - he really adored him.

And then Jeongguk left, and it was like it had been before he had even met Jeongguk. Jin instantly screaming out a, “Ha! In your face, pick up 4!”

And then they began to bicker, as if they hadn’t just jaded his boyfriend out of the house.

“What the fuck was that?”

Jin turned to Taehyung with a raised brow, “What?”

“Tell me why the fuck you were so rude to Jeongguk.”

Namjoon sighed, touching Jin’s hand, “Please, don’t fight.”

“No, let him speak,” Jin said.

Taehyung stood throwing his cards down onto the coffee table, “I knew he was uncomfortable. I told you both that he was shy and it took a while to get him warmed up to you. I told you to be kind.”

Jin couldn’t help but smile, “Well, maybe if he had a better attitude I might have been.”

Taehyung grabbed Jin by the colour and stood him up. “Get the fuck over yourself, he isn’t the one with the shitty attitude.”

Jin was older, he was stronger. He pushed Taehyung back against the wall and held his shoulders down, “Don’t you dare put your hands on me again, Taehyung. I don’t care if you’re my friend. Don’t fucking touch me.”

It was only when Jin heard Namjoon begin to cry that he let go, his gaze on Taehyung, shrewd. Taehyung watched Jin make his way over to Namjoon whose head was heavy in his hands, tears staining his palms.

“I don’t like Jeongguk, I don’t. And I don’t like whoever you have turned into.”

Jin fixed the collar of his shirt and pulled Namjoon to the doorway.

And they left.

And Taehyung was alone in his awful apartment that smelt too much of this mornings breakfast and Seokjin’s cologne.

Taehyung hadn’t cried in months.

It wasn’t the same after that night. Namjoon and Jin hadn’t texted him in weeks, Jeongguk was at college during the days and he had looked at his statistics just last week and he had seen his name in first place.

So why was he feeling empty? Why had he been fawning over this idea for so long? Was it the validation? Why couldn’t he find validation in someone else, like Jeongguk?

First place meant nothing, Jeongguk was right.

Taehyung missed him.

He still cams with him every second day, but Jeongguk has fallen into Taehyung’s old habits. Taehyung has noticed that all of his moans sound more or less akin to what they did the stream before and all of his infamous one-liners have been used up so he is just taking it without a word.

He kissed him with tongue now, sloppy.

It was hard to think about; Jeongguk falling out of love with Taehyung. But Thelma at the post office had said that it was normal, that relationships aren’t always puppy love. “Do you think that all married couples are still in love?” Thelma’s wrinkles deepen as she laughs. “If I still loved my husband, I’d still be giving him blowjobs. That’s why I bought him a fleshlight.”

Taehyung laughed, but it was staged, too. Acting was easier now and he wondered if he auditioned for a role right now, would he get it? The thought of Jeongguk resorting to a fleshlight while laid beside Taehyung pained him. “Thanks, Thelma. Your wisdom was much needed.”

“I’m weathered, darling.” A cackle. “I’m like a tree, beaten and worn down.”

That was a sad thought. He wished Thelma the best.

And Thelma was right, because that playful puppy love that seemed so palpable before, was gone. Jeongguk got up in the morning and brushed his teeth. He got changed. He didn’t kiss Taehyung goodbye. He didn’t want to join in the live streams anymore because he said he had too much work to do. Namjoon and Jin tried to call him, but he didn’t want to pick up the phone.

He would rather stay in bed.

A text message with a lone ‘K’ was a new concept that Taehyung had to get used to, probably the hardest change out of them all. He missed Jeongguk’s texts telling him what he wanted Taehyung to do to him that night.

He found himself rereading the majority of his old messages.

And, to make matters worse, Taehyung was losing subscribers. That meant he was losing sponsors, that then means losing money. The reality of going back to being in debt scared him.

Maybe he should go back to private sessions with Jerry.

The ever declining number of viewers made him realise the stark reality: he needed Jeongguk.

He wasn’t home much anymore.

He never really texted back.

He never stayed over as often.

So, Taehyung stopped camming.

So, Taehyung ignored Namjoon and Jin’s calls.

So, he was left alone to wallow in his own self-pity.

It is 3:42 in the morning, the night is still a private sanctuary and the stars are still overlooking his shoe-box apartment. And Taehyung heard his door knob creak. It could be a murderer, a robber; but Taehyung made no effort to move. Maybe if he laid still enough they would think they had already gotten to him.

But it was the, “Hey, baby,” that caused him to stir.

He didn’t have to see Jeongguk to know it was him. The shadow of him was broad and his biceps were larger than they were before, he was leaned over him. And even though he knew, he still asked, “Jeongguk?”

“Yeah, baby,” A kiss to his neck. “I missed you.”

“You did?”

“Of course I did.”

Jeongguk kissed down Taehyung’s stomach and pulled at his pants, rubbing the palm of his hands over Taehyung’s crotch. “Do you want me to-”

Jeongguk raised a finger to Taehyung’s lips, “Baby, hush. Let me take care of you.” A laugh, “And, by the way, totally not the right time, but I finished Cowboy Bebop.”

And if Taehyung couldn’t feel the warmth of Jeongguk’s mouth around his cock, he would have thought he was dreaming. But he wasn’t. Jeongguk was here and he was sucking his dick. He missed Taehyung. “Thank you,” A cry.

Taehyung felt Jeongguk smile around his penis. “Only for you.”

Only for you.

Taehyung woke up to a post-it note beside his table, a bouquet of roses the colour of a ripened cherry in a glass vase - it looked antique. It read:

Last night was good. See you tonight? X

And Taehyung felt warm and he felt like it was the first night that they had drunkenly fucked. Except, Jeongguk was submissive that night. But, maybe going to the gym changes sexual preference; Taehyung wouldn’t know.

He leaned in to smell the roses and the fragrance was lovely. Jeongguk picked them out especially for him.

Taehyung hadn’t touched himself in months, before he met Jeongguk. So, while he waits for his boyfriend to come back home from a hard day of engineering, he will make him wish he had never left him alone for so long.

He had made pasta bolognese, he had even grated the cheese himself. The expensive kind that Jeongguk liked. He set up candles and plucked some petals off of his roses and laid them across the tabled - and the bed.

And he waited.

But waiting was hard and so was he at the thought of what would happen later tonight - would Jeongguk be dominant again? Would he play nice because Taehyung had gone to so much effort to please him?

So Taehyung opened Livegasms and saw the name icon next to the name ‘Park Jimin’ turn green. He was live. Taehyung was interested to see what the hype was all about so he collected his cherry red lube and coated his cock in it before clicking it open.

He ignored the ring of his phone.

Park Jimin was laid across the bed. He was small, petite. Fuckable. He smiled down at the camera as he read comments out loud. Taehyung understood; Park Jimin was kind.

And people in the chat grew impatient, asking when the guest would arrive. Jimin said with a smile to be patient. Taehyung wondered if he ever stopped smiling. He hoped not, people like Jimin shouldn’t stop - his smile is too pretty.

And then a figure came into view, only a hand. It was large, with a vein peeking at the surface. He was holding pink handcuffs. Taehyung felt an unease.

Taking up the left side of the screen, a man with a built form was hovering above the bed. Only half of his face was shown. But he knew that smile. He knew those hands and he knew that muscular body. And, most of all, he knew that cherry red dildo that he held in his right hand.

Taehyung’s blood curdled.

#bts #bts smut #taehyung x jungkook #taekook #taekook smut

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goishmael1fan · 4 years

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33 Ways to Monetize a Website/Blog

Making money from your website isn’t a myth. It’s doable by anyone.

In fact – turning a part-time, hobby blog or website into an income-generating asset is fairly common with a bit of luck and some hard work.

At the very least, you should be able to make enough to cover your basic expenses for a domain and hosting. You might even be able to replace your income (and then earn some more).

Keep in mind that the strategies listed below range from easy and passive, to the ones which require a TON of on-going work (so make sure you pick something that suits your site and lifestyle preferences).

There are 33 total tips in this guide, but let’s start with the ten most popular (and predictable) site monetization tips.

If you wish create a website that you plan to monetize, you can use this step-by-step guides to create your own self-hosted website at cheapest cost.

10 Most Common Ways to Make Money with Your Website

Making money from your website isn’t easy. These ten tips are probably your best bet to get started.

1. Affiliate Marketing (.. and affiliate links)

Examples of a successful affiliate site: Booking.com

Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular (not to mention quickest) ways to make money from your website or blog.

Start by finding a product you like and would recommend. Then on your website, you endorse the product and promote it to your website visitors and email subscribers. If the product or service resonates with these people, they’ll click on your affiliate link, purchasing the product (while you get a split of the sale price).

The commission might be anywhere from 30% of the product or service price, up to as high as 70%. For example, if the split is 50% and you promote an e-book that costs $100, you’ll get $50 for simply referring the buyer. Pretty sweet deal, huh?!

Where can I find products to promote?

Commission junction – offers reliable products with on-time payments.

ShareASale – mostly clothes, accessories, and other offline goods.

Clickbank – high percentage payouts, but there’s a lack of GOOD products to promote.

2. “Pay Per Click” advertising (Google Adsense)

AdWords are the advertisements that show up on the top of Google search result pages.

AdSense is the reverse, allowing publishers to tap into Google’s immense advertising network so that other advertisers can run ads on their website.

The best part about this system is how simple everything is.

Once you sign up, Google will place a simple code on your website that will identify the content of your site and start displaying relevant advertisements. For example, if your site is about pets (dogs & cats), Google AdSense will start showing your visitors ads for cat food, dog training, and more.

You get paid each time someone clicks on the ad. (Yes, it’s really that easy!)

Your cut might be anywhere from $0.50 to $5 per click. When your site has enough traffic, you can make hundreds (if not thousands of dollars) each month.

How to apply for Google Adsense?

Apply for AdSense – Before applying, make sure you keep up with their latest Terms Of Service. Google has very strict rules, so it’s hard to get (and stay) approved.

3. Sell ad space

Incorporating Google’s AdSense on your website is just one way to make money from online advertisements.

Another is to simply sell your own ad space directly to companies looking to sponsor different blogs. You can come up with a price for each space, for example: “Sidebar banner ads will cost $xxx per month”.

You can get paid depending on how many visitors you get. Typically it’s quoted as a dollar amount per one thousand impressions (or CPM). You might see it as $5 CPM. If the website gets 100,000 visits a month, that ad price translates into $500 bucks.

The good thing about this approach is that if your site gets a ton of traffic from different sources, your simple banner ad pricing can go up to as high as $5000 per month! The obvious downside is that if your site doesn’t get a lot of traffic, you can’t expect to earn much either.

The other common method when selling ad space directly from your website is a simple direct price. You simply name a price (based on what you think it’s worth, relative to what the competition might be charging), and get paid upfront at the beginning of each month. This pricing is also generally a simple flat fee, not tied to a Cost Per Click like AdSense.

Where can I let others know that my website is selling ad space?

BuySellAds – The most popular environment to let everybody know you’re selling ad space.

4. Sell your own digital product (Ebook for example)

You have the potential to make the most money on a per-sale basis when you can sell your own directly.

That’s because there’s no middle-man or person in between you and the buyer that’s taking a ‘cut’ from the money earned.

This approach seems fairly straightforward because you can simply sell these products directly through your website and get paid immediately. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple in reality.

Creating good products that are well made and polished requires a ton of time and additional resources (like design, content, etc.). There’s a lot of ‘hidden costs’ in both time spent and the contractors to collaborate with. Selling your own products on your site also brings up problematic issues like payment gateways, shipping, and taxes.

If it doesn’t sound like enough work already, you’ll also need a well designed, persuasive landing page to make sure your product has a strong conversion rate. A list of best landing page builders can be found here.

Additional resources:

How to sell products on your website.

5. Accept donations from visitors

If you don’t have a ton of monthly visits, but you do have a strong, engaged community? Simply ask your readers to donate!

Accepting one-off donations isn’t a fast road to wealth, but it can help you cover expenses in the short-term if people like what you have to say and want to support your journey.

For example, PayPal offers little donation buttons that only take about ten minutes to add to your website. These buttons offer you a quick way to recoup what you might want to be spending on a good web hosting, new product creation, research, and all of the other costs to maintain a healthy, active blog.h

For example, web.archive.org makes a lot of money from donations (most likely due to their millions of visitors per month).

How to set up donation buttons?

How to take donations on your website

6. Sell sponsored posts (…but use nofollow tag)

One of the common ways to make more money from your website means getting those visitor numbers UP.

Once you’ve done the hard work of building steady traffic to your site with an engaged community, there are a few different ways to monetize your hard work.

For example, many companies go out of their way to look for blogs that will feature their sponsored content. ‘Native advertising‘ like this works well because it lines up with your site’s primary content and it comes across as relevant and transparent.

You can also review the products from a company in an ‘advertorial’ that’s part content, part advertisement. For example, if your website is all about the latest iOS games for iPhones and iPads, the creator of one of those ads would LOVE to have you review and feature their app to your fans.

When done right, this can create a win/win scenario. However – done poorly, with irrelevant or inauthentic site content, it can erode all of the reader’s goodwill you’ve worked so hard to create in the first place.

For further reading:

How to make money through sponsored posts and reviews – About.com

7. Generate ‘leads’ for other companies

Businesses thrive on new leads coming in their doors to inquire about their products or services.

It’s no surprise that they’re always on the lookout, searching for creative ways to find new sources of leads to help them grow.

For example:

Let’s say you have a website about teaching math skills. Your reader’s information (like their email address or phone number) would be of great value to different online schools who’re looking to sell their courses to eager, proactive students.

Basically, you’re connecting the dots; playing the matchmaker by introducing two parties who can benefit one another. While it’s similar to how affiliate marketing works, in this case, it doesn’t actually matter if your reader ends up purchasing their product or not. They’re just looking for an introduction at this point.

Where can I find such offers?

MaxBounty

Neverblue

Peerfly

8. Build an ‘Email List’

Spend any amount of time reading blog growth tips, and you’re sure to come across people saying “the money’s in the list“.

They’re referring to your email list, which comprises your most loyal readers. The objective is to convert as many strangers who visit your site for the first time into passionate followers who want to stay up-to-date on your latest work or content.

Admittedly this is a long term strategy (and you definitely won’t get rich overnight). But it’s one of the best, long-term methods to profitably growing your blog into a full-fledged, money-making enterprise.

Never lose sight of creating relationships with your followers. Offering great information or free help is a perfect way to start. Spamming people with unsolicited offers is one of the fastest ways to abuse the reader’s trust and sabotage your long-term goals.

How does it EXACTLY work?

Listbuilding 101 – Probably the best introduction on the internet.

9. Set up an eCommerce site (hard work is required)

Websites don’t just have to be about content. They can be centered around tools or products on an online store.

Be forewarned:

There are literally hundreds of thousands of eCommerce websites or online stores. Make sure that yours is filling a unique niche, with a detailed strategy and the latest marketing techniques to stand out from the crowd.

How do I create a successful online store/shop?

How to Make a WooCommerce Shop (WordPress)

How to Make Shopify E-commerce Store (Shopify)

10. Flip your websites (Create -> Sell -> Reinvest)

Believe it or not, there’s almost always a market out there for your website.

That means if you’ve built up a following (or possibly even sold a few products or included advertising on your site), you might be able to sell it to someone else and make a quick buck.

To be honest, we typically don’t suggest people plan on flipping their website or blog (we’re a bigger fan of creating something for the long term).

You can’t deny how lucrative it can be. For example, if your website is making $500 per/month through selling ad space, you might be able to sell the site for $5,000 – $10,000 (which is about 12x – 22x monthly income).

Another interesting option is to sell ready-made sites, These are MUCH cheaper, but there’s still some money to be made.

Where can I sell my site?

Flippa – The most popular website market.

We Buy Websites – Another popular marketplace.

FEinternational – Mostly for high-end websites.

By now we have counted down some of the most popular ways to earn money from your website.

Yet, we’re still only just scratching the surface.

Below are another 23 ways to make money with your website.

(Keep in mind that some of them are slightly connected with the ones above yet they are little ‘out of the box’.)

Another 23 ways to monetize your website

11. Sell text-link ads (NOT RECOMMENDED) – There’s still a demand for text-links ads (believe it or not). But please keep in mind that these violate Google’s Terms of Service (which means you run the risk of getting penalized).

To avoid it, simply keep the ‘nofollow‘.

12. Set up “infolinks” – Infolinks are a great alternative to AdSense advertisements, that are very easy to setup. The downside is that they aren’t high in converting, and the payouts (on a per-click basis) are also quite small.

13. Use monetization widgets – These are also very similar to Google Adsense, so they’re worth trying out as an alternative.

14. Set up RSS feed ads. – Exactly what they sound like. Ad space for sale in-line with content from an RSS feed.

15. Give away premium content for extra $$$ – If you are producing mind-blowing, awesome content that visitors can’t get enough of… you can always try asking them to pay for some of it! (Crazy concept, huh?!) I’m personally fine with paying for premium content. Bear in mind – don’t ask people to pay right away. Instead, stay focused on growing an audience and visitors first.

16. Start a private forum or coaching class(es) – Most of us have unique skills that others can benefit from. Setting up a simple forum or classes is an easy way to help others and generate recurring income at the same time.

17. Create a job board – Setting up a job board on your website is another simple, easy way to collect additional money when people are accepting different job offers from various companies or individuals.

18. Offer consulting – Offering consulting gigs and providing services can help you bring in decent sums of money while other forms of ‘passive’ revenue take a little time to build up. You can offer these services via email, forum or even Skype.

19. Add the “hire me” page on your website – Your new website or blog is also a perfect place to feature your freelancing services. Showcasing samples or evidence of past work will help greatly increase your chances of getting hired.

20. Sell or rent internal pages – These aren’t very common, but you might be surprised at what people would be willing to rent or spend money on!

21. Display pop-ups advertisements – Pop-ups can be extremely annoying. However, they’re also another easy way to make some quick money.

22. Use content lockers – ‘Content locking’ is similar to hiding or protecting pieces of content until a visitor takes some action to redeem it. For example, maybe you want them to pay a small amount, or perhaps click on an advertisement.

23. Display audio ads – These are relatively new and are becoming increasingly more common. Personally, I haven’t tried it. But I have read some articles and it definitely looks promising.

24. Sell an e-book – This one is a no-brainer. Many people sell e-books through their site. Some examples: If you have a website about recipes and cooking, you can easily create and sell your own recipe book. The same applies to almost every niche.

25. Create a conference around your website – Lots of work but a huge potential payoff as well.

26. Set up a teaching program – Kinda like a cross between selling your own content and offering consulting or services.

27. Host paid webinars – Similar to the last tip, which is largely a mix of consulting through content and a teaching program.

28. Create a membership site – Yet another tier on the ‘info-business’ model that has the added benefit of bringing in recurring revenue.

29. Offer coupons (with affiliate links) – People are eagerly looking for discount & promo codes for everything from clothes to travel vacations. If you can (find and) offer a valid one, you can also get a cut of that revenue too.

30. Host polls on your website – Hard to believe, but easy to do!

31. Offer writing gigs – You can easily make $20 – $30 per 500-word article writing for other companies or individuals. There’s also a huge potential for fluent speakers of different languages, as many companies want their websites translated by those who speak the native language.

32. Create a paid directory/business page – You charge people for listing or subscribing to the page.

33. Just copy what others are doing – Our personal favorite! 😉

P.S. If you wish to use this infographic on your website, feel free to do so.

Download the full infographic here (.png)

P.S.S. If you know any other ways to monetize websites, let me know in the comment section. We’ll add it to the list and credit you by putting your name under it.

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2ZpvCFy

#leaktapes #entertainment

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thepennydarling · 5 years

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Happy Friday, Penny Darlings!

I have some new and exciting stuff coming up that I can’t share quiiiiiite yet, so get your horses, and hold them!

Preston & I got to live our art DREAMS yesterday and I can’t wait to share it with you!

Ya’ll know how much we love the arts. We’re hardcore theatre nerds, prefer a museum to a game, and love seeing local artists at work! And I lovelovelove public art and murals.

So this week, we tried to hit as many local ‘art’ spots in my hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania. Yes, Reading, like the Reading Railroad on the Monopoly board. And it’s pronounced Red-ding, not Reed-ing. So if all of your life you were convinced that it was the ‘Reeding Railroad’ – I am happy to blow your mind! Ha!

While it might be a little hamlet of a town, it’s attempting to grow the art community every day! So Preston and I wanted to hit a museum, a gallery, a play, and some public art! We did this ALL in one day (so it definitely warrants an awesome day trip!). We found most of these places (and events) from Visit PA Americana’s tourism site! Check out their calendar here!

Let me just sneak the boring stuff so we can get to the goods! Check me out on Instagram here! I also have a selling Instagram page where I sell some of my old clothes/styles so that I don’t drown in my own wardrobe. I just listed a few new things – so check that out!

On to the content of the day! It’s a hometown pARTy! (get it?)

1.) Stroll through the Reading Public Museum!

Reading Public Art Museum has some amazing exhibits, a planetarium, tons of events, and a rotating show on the third floor! Right now there is an Astronaut exhibit and it is so interactive and incredible. Honestly, that exhibit would be worth the trip by itself, so it’s just gravy that there’s some amazing other pieces of art and artifacts here! I’ve been going here since I was a kid and I still am as enthralled with the art as I was when I was a kid! (Bonus: Preston was very excited that there was a mummy here!)

2.) Take a class at the GoggleWorks!

GoggleWorks is a local, renovated, and airy art gallery and studio space! There is not only a gallery, a cafe, an event space, but there is so much more! There is a small artsy movie theatre (to see all the Best Picture nominees! Ha!), dance classes, studio space, all types of arts classes, performances, and more! Fun fact, Preston and I looked at this space for our wedding!

3.) See a show at Genesius Theatre!

This is a total easy one for me & Preston! We’ve performed at Genesius Theatre, met friends here, seen tons of shows here, and we’ve seen some awesome shows! Right now, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is running (tonight & this weekend!), and it’s AMAZING. Get tickets here! (Bonus: Mamie Covell is tough to beat on stage!). Genesius creates all types of theatre (musicals, plays, youth theatre, and more!)

4.) Jazz it up!

Berks County has one of the biggest jazz fests in the state! Berks Jazz Fest is a big deal around these parts! For real, all the hotels fill up, and it’s full of people with saxaphones! Just kidding! But I remember lots of school friends in Jazz Band LOVING getting to go and see professional jazz musicians, play, learn, and see awesome acts! Again, this is in town THIS weekend! Go check it out!

5.) Side Step into Mural Corridor

Ya’ll know me. I CANNOT resist a good mural walk. Not only do I adore public art, but they also make the best photo backgrounds! The Berks Art Council has created Mural Corridor in West Reading and it’s incredible! It’s a mix of local artists and styles and it’s truly incredible! Between stopping for lunch or shopping, one block off ‘the avenue’ is this amazing hidden gem!

Upcoming Arts Events:

Check out Visit PA Berks Americana event calendar for more details on these events!

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at Genesius Berks Jazz Fest Cirque Du Solei at Santander Performing Arts Center Arts on the Avenue Kutztown Folk Festival

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*This blog was sponsored by the Visit PA Berks Americana Tourism office, however all thoughts and opinions are my own*

SO HERE’S THE “END OF BLOG” SPIEL!

If you are at all interested in doing a collab or working with me – please feel free to check out my new Contact Me! page! I also do social media consulting and photography, so please reach out! Let’s work together!

Follow me on Instagram: @thepennydarling

Like my Facebook page here!

Follow me on Twitter here!

Subscribe for updates!

Check out my Gwynnie Bee affiliate page here! (Free month trial if you use my code!)

If you’d like to donate to help me keep Penny Darling going – click here!

Comment for topics you would like to see me cover! Like to help my self esteem! What do you think so far? More fashion? More lifestyle? Do you like the mix?

Thank you for all that you do. You are truly extraordinary.

Love all you wonderful ladies (and gents!) out there!

How Very,

Abby

Five ways to enjoy and be a part of the art in my hometown of Berks County! Happy Friday, Penny Darlings! I have some new and exciting stuff coming up that I can't share quiiiiiite yet, so get your horses, and hold them!

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politicalfilth-blog · 5 years

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Trump Vs The Intel Community What We Need To Know

youtube

In this video, we give you the latest breaking news on Trump tweeting out his displeasure with the intelligence community? What is it we the people need to know?

Article – https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/30/politics/trump-intel-chiefs-foreign-policy-iran-isis-north-korea/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0XlIgceAuw0t92gPs89dLtF-8WF3cDEw444MSfGqlO2hZtVuXCbrFgklM

Video link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0AUvhJ0-I4&t=1s&fbclid=IwAR3DsKyUBIk_OdKFZDtag0TxB46Pj7BzoU69ES6cM-4IvwdlTtOV7XZRx18&ab_channel=WeAreChange

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Transcript

Welcome back beautiful amazing human beings and in this specific video I wanted to talk about the bigger truth behind the verbal War that’s happening right now between US President Donald Trump and the US intelligence agencies know as we know Trump’s relationship with the Intel Community hasn’t been the best one with him previously comparing the leaks that were coming out about him from the intelligence Community Action to Nazi Germany now this of course makes many people speculate about a deep state.

Surely the situation is a lot more complicated as we’re going to document in this video not as clear-cut as you think by the way that sponsored by you what you checking on your t-shirts will you get what you could probably just click in a description or the probably images below this video where you could click purchase some new merchandise especially the new t-shirts that we have right now and be a part of the direct user support for this Independent Media Channel know a lot of the information that we’re going to be talking about today actually relates to a video that we just made a couple days ago criticizing a mainstream media news article that said that us intelligence agencies quote or saying that Russia and China are plotting to interfere in the 2020 elections this video will be available in the description so you can get a better context and understanding of what’s Happening Here No I was actually going to grab a news article surrounding this specific case and critique it but honestly there’s so much disinformation and propaganda around that. Tissue that it’s going to be important for me to actually do deep dive into this and show you a series of Articles and evidence so you understand this very confusing situation unfolding now and of course it all starts with the dni chief coming out and hearings that are happening right now in the Senate intelligence committee where the heads of key intelligence agencies are coming out and publicly rebuking US President Donald Trump on his assertions about Isis Iran North Korea and climate change while course also warning that China and Russia will interfere in the 2020 election of course our allegations coming out in these hearings from the US intelligence Community which of course is something with the mainstream media is eating up and loving because it is Donald Trump’s policies that are being criticized where he is actually in my opinion doing the right thing which specifically withdrawing troops from Syria trying to withdraw. Trips from Afghanistan and starting. Dialogue and also and also reaching out to a bigger piece DeLand denuclearization with North Korea now of course Donald Trump is being attacked because of this by the very predominantly War happy mainstream media.

And it is important to note here that this information is coming from the same intelligence community that has often times been caught red-handed lying to the American people specifically when it comes to the bigger context of war and conflict usually lying to get us into these problems why off course at the same time faking intelligence to keep us in there and prolonged East Conference conflicts which of course big profit motives for big Industries especially the military industrial complex and this is why a lot of people are characterizing what’s happening now as a war and then attack by Donald Trump supposedly against these intelligence communities which clearly disagree with each other on key American policy other very interesting part here in the bigger contradiction here that’s important for you to understand is the very fact that Donald Trump isn’t that big of a piece neck as. Think he is and verbally with this entire situation unfolding verbally he has come out and said that the intelligence Community hasn’t been tough enough on Iran chastising that intelligence Community for not being as hawkish as he wants them to be characterizing them as being soft on Iran which as we know has been an Israeli Saudi Arabian and a neocon dream to invade for a very long time engaging and in a cup.

What’s that country so I think it’s fair to conclude here with a lot of people are coming to the conclusion of is that this is not.

Pro-war vs. anti-war argument or bigger conflict in fight that’s happening here cuz this is a more confusing one about which Wars should and shouldn’t be fought and it’s fascinating to see the US intelligence Community come out verbally and say that they do not believe that Iran is currently undertaken quote Key activities needed to produce a nuclear bomb and assessment which of course is totally contradicting Trump’s Administration and of course the bloodthirsty demon-like creature John Bolton Trump advisor and picked Trump advisor Donald Trump issued set the intelligent people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of and that they are making trouble all over the Middle East and Beyond was just caught a potential danger in conflict and if you’ve been watching our previous geopolitical breakdowns on this channel. A lot more to this bigger call for conflict with Iran and that these comments are not only not genuine but also not in the best interest of the United States but of course for some of our key allies but regardless of those facts I think the one constant that we do have here is the fact that the mainstream media no matter what just wants War just ultimately wants blood once boots-on-the-ground wants us intervention with even some mainstream media journalists like Max Booth insinuating that the United States needs to be in Syria and Afghanistan for as long as three hundred years the mainstream media at the same time is urging Democrats to get past their hatred of Donald Trump’s you back.

Donald Trump’s Administration Zephyr tat quote democracy in Venezuela who are literally characterizing Donald Trump as the next Hitler yes you should definitely trust this man with quote pushing the goals of democracy with a coup d’etat in a foreign country also having the power to take away your second amendment at the same time as well.

Cognitive dissonance on a lot of these never trumper’s is absolutely insane and their virtues and goals are becoming more apparent and that of course is just the promotion of a conflict that does not need to happen no out of the ridiculous amount of candidates running on the Democratic party against Donald Trump in 2020 the only Democrats that owes regime-change efforts in.

Venezuela or of course Bernie Sanders and of course Tulsi gabbard that says that the United States should stay out of Venezuela personally seeing a lot of the bees on the ground in Caracas Venezuela I could say for sure I am not a fan of Nicolas Maduro nor his regime and I do hope that the people of that country rise up against their government but in my opinion it needs to be done independently of foreign interference for a very specific reason which I will mention at the end of this video because again I believe it’s the logical safe smartest thing to do in this particular situation.

And unlike the mainstream media like the New York Times what you’re literally there’s even an opinion piece right now talking about how the US government should bribe the Venezuelan military while at the same time also praising the government of Pinochet of Chile a ridiculous article that is just a laughable now of course Donald Trump’s actions when it comes to this very specific issue in Venezuela has actually garnered him praise not only amongst Democrats but also of course the mainstream media actions like this.

And specifically Donald Trump selecting Elliott Abrams who literally as assistant Secretary of State covered up massacres and other human rights violations at the Reagan Administration engineered in Latin America before as literally the man took quote bring back democracy to Venezuela and he of course would be characterized as a deep State asset which I think is fair to call him that since he played a major role in most of the Gospel e acts committed by US foreign policy within the past 40 years I think it’s pretty clear here that you know people who actually care about supposed democracy don’t plot coup de ta’s abroad.

That’s a very fair statement to make sure and of course while the media and some government officials are throwing the word around democracy like they actually care about the will of the people or what the people think which is just laughable we have course also have John Paul and that’s kind of more direct here there’s just even admitting yeah there’s actually great us interest in Venezuela’s oil capabilities Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves totaling.

297 billion barrels to the point where even China significantly invested in that country an estimated 70 billion dollars that chime hand it over to Venezuela. Of course demanded to be repaid back in oil and of course with apps.

Mismanagement and horrible government policies by Maduro But Country still is.

Starving starving why of course he eats empanadas during National addresses has actually gained weight and released Instagrams with salt baked now of course this larger issue with Venezuela is not just about democracy and oil it’s also with other key geopolitical issues and larger attainments and financial institutions like the u.s. petrodollar but regardless of this kind of bigger dispute he’s having with the intelligence community’s the United States and its allies is still sending its troops to neighboring countries and of course tential plans with specifically Israeli soldiers coming to Brazil and US soldiers according to a notepad. John Bolton portrayed obviously very openly to the media allegedly US troops going to Columbia of both of countries that I was documenting weeks ago or even openly talking about invading Venezuela video that you can see on our Channel but for me this is not the right move and I. Free with other statesman’s like Ron Paul.

Who says we must leave Venezuela alone and to be the worst option of course here is war and direct us intervention because even the threat of that has been galvanising a lot of support for Maduro and a lot of the sanctions and a lot of this bigger economic war and also unfair play with a history of US intervention in Latin America that has been atrocious by the historical record all of those combinations combined are still leaving support for Nicolas Maduro in that country and are one of the fundamental reasons why he is still in power and still has some support as seen by this video with a large demonstration all wearing red supporting him and in my own personal belief and Analysis from studying this and looking at this and also being on the ground in Venezuela the geopolitical situation will look completely different if it wasn’t for the US pudding. Snows in there and the current situation that is unfolding wouldn’t be there because there wouldn’t be an excuse to prop up a Monday. So I guess that’s just my analysis I could be completely wrong and if you think I’m wrong let me know why in the comments section I always look forward to learning from you engaging in a bigger dialogue because that’s what journalists her supposed to do I have my own thesis you might have your own prove me wrong I look forward to actually doing what a lot of these mainstream media companies don’t do and that’s not only just not being a shield but also having the comment section open which conveniently a lot of big organizations don’t anymore as it’s becoming more obvious about the direct interest that they serve.

Yeah thanks for supporting me especially through our t-shirt store allowing us to be truly independent working for you the American people and of course people are the world because if it wasn’t I want to be here that’s why.

Love you guys thank you again so much watching stay tuned for a lot more here on youtube.com.

Are change.

The post Trump Vs The Intel Community What We Need To Know appeared first on We Are Change.

from We Are Change https://wearechange.org/trump-vs-the-intel-community-what-we-need-to-know/

#We are Change #We Are Change

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sentrava · 6 years

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Fa La La: The Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide

It’s my favorite time of the year, you guys: It’s officially socially acceptable to listen to Christmas tunes around the clock, plus I have a valid excuse to spend hours scouring the Internet in search of great gift ideas for you to give your loved ones! (I may also have shopped a little lot in the process. Oops.)

Note: Some of these featured products are from our sponsors, while others are affiliate links that will earn me a small commission.

So without further ado, here’s what I’m digging this year:

FOR THE NOMADIC SOUL

Have a friend or family member in your life who is only satisfied when doing something new, exciting and/or unique? (I know a little something about that!) Well, Tinggly has the cure that ails them. I’ve always been a fan of giving experiences instead of mere stuff, and this is the perfect solution: You can gift your loved one a personalized box that contains a voucher to a bucket list kind of item that most people only dream of. Dinner with a NASA astronaut? James Bond sightseeing tour in Thailand? VIP helicopter over the Vegas Strip? Yoga retreat in India? Tango lesson in Buenos Aires? Tinggly has something for every taste. I also love that you can choose your box by theme: birthday, Christmas, wedding, couples and more.

FOR THE SUN BUM

True story: I allot more space in my luggage to sunglasses than I do to anything else, as heaven forbid I be photographed in the same shades over and over again! But I can’t help it: I’m always outside doing something fun, and if there’s one thing fashion-wise that I care about the most it’s what’s on my face. And I love the selection of women’s sunglasses available at Sunglass Warehouse. I’m a huge fan of Aviators—bonus points if they’re mirrored—and Sunglass Warehouse has so many different kinds of Aviators in stock, many available for under $20. (With as much as I change out my shades, I like keeping my cost per item as low as possible.) For those shopping for the holidays, Sunglass Warehouse is offering 40% off one pair of shades from now through Nov. 30 with the code SPENDLESS40.

FOR THE TECH-HEAVY TRAVELER

We’ve all been there before: You’re traveling all day and your iPhone quickly depletes of all power. It’s near impossible to locate an outlet at an airport, and even my backup battery usually dies well before my travel day has ended (a nightmare scenario as I rely on it for ride-sharing when I finally reach my destination). Which is why Lynktec’s Reeljuice 5X Power Bank + 10 Watt Rapid Wall Charger is my new favorite thing; it’s got four feet of retractable charging cord, and it gives me FIVE full charges before it needs to be re-powered. No more fighting my fellow fliers for coveted outlet space at the airport; in fact, I can even charge my phone while I fly. I’m giving one of these bad boys away down at the bottom of the post, but you can also get 25 percent off (site-wide!) with the code LUNATICATLARGE25.

FOR THE SCIENCE GEEK (OR THE TWEEN)

This Lock Pick Beginners Box is at the very top of my DIY-loving husband’s own list, and for good reason: It gives you the tools (literally and figuratively) that you need to learn how to pick locks, with two different sets of practice locks that have clear sides so that the trainee can see what’s going on behind the scenes with the mechanisms. This is the perfect present for a dude—what husband/boyfriend doesn’t love tinkering?—but also would be a fantastic and affordable option for your fidgety, problem-solving tween.

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST

You guys know my love for St. Jude runs deep. It’s just so cool what they do there: On top of being one of the top research facilities in the world, St. Jude also ensure that its patients don’t have to worry about a thing (like, for example, cost or lodging for the family) other than getting better. I donate to St. Jude periodically throughout the year, but I’m loving their new initiative, This Shirt. All you have to do is sign up to donate $20 to St. Jude monthly, and you get this exclusive Tee that all your favorite country artists (and your favorite blogger!) are wearing. Because helping others is really the reason for the season.

FOR THE ETERNAL STUDENT

Alert, alert, self plug coming! Kristin Sweeting and I are headed to Portugal next July to teach the ultimate writing, photography, marketing and business workshop—and we’d love for you to join us! We’ve extended registrations through Dec. 31 and have a handful of spots left (and a really amazing group attending so far!). Come learn the ropes of the biz with us while surfing, roaming, doing yoga and exploring Lisbon’s charming surrounds with us in your downtime. Bring your significant other or business partner or come solo. Just think of it as continuing education, a tax write-off and a vacation all rolled into one! As a Christmas special, I’m including two one-hour coaching sessions for anyone who signs up by Dec. 15, one by Skype prior to the trip and one in Portugal.

FOR THE AT-HOME COOK

We’re always experimenting in the kitchen, and try to eat as clean (i.e. no processed food) as possible, meaning that adding herbs and spices is clutch for our style of dining. I’ve had a subscription to Raw Spice Bar for the past year, and I love that every three months, a collection of six individually packaged, freshly-ground, seasonal spices arrives in my mailbox and that I don’t have to commit to buying the entire spice jar before I know I like it. You can even customize your diet to Paleo, vegan, vegetarian, healthy or “eat anything” and, of course, buy more from the Raw Spice Bar shop if you like what you tried.

FOR THE HEALTHY DINER

I’m all about collecting cookbooks, even if SVV is technically the chef in our household. My current favorite is A Beautiful Mess Weekday Weekend, which just came out this month and compiles even more healthy, vegetarian recipes than Elsie and Emma post on their blog. If you already own ABM, may I suggest the following: Laura Lea Balanced, Body Love and Cravings (maybe technically not healthy, but who doesn’t want to look like Chrissy Teigen?!).

FOR THE NEW HOMEOWNER

Earlier this year, my interior designer friend Kendall Simmons and her husband Kane launched Salut Home, a thoughtfully curated collection of home goods and accents, and I drool over all their colorful offerings every time the email hits my inbox. My current obsession? Their new collection of Leah Singh pillows (all things Leah Singh, really)—they have 96 styles in stock! And bonus, they’re on sale for Black Friday (use the code LEAH20), or you can sign up for their newsletter and receive a promo code for 10 percent off.

FOR THE SHUTTERBUG

While I’ll never fully replace my DSLR, ever since my mom gave me the Canon G7X Mark II for Christmas last year, it’s replaced my Canon 6D in my purse as my daily camera. It’s still got the manual settings so I can play around with the exposure, but is small and compact and great for videos. (Check out the travel videos I’ve been making for evidence.)

FOR THE BIG KID IN YOUR LIFE

For SVV’s last birthday, I got him a Phantom 4 Pro+ drone, and he loves it. He was a former aviation tech in the Navy and daydreams about flying all the time. Coupled with his penchant for photography, it was the perfect gift (and has come in handy on many a work project for us, too!). I think the P4 Pro is great for someone who does photography professionally; however, if your loved one isn’t that well-versed in drones yet, I recommend a cheaper, lighter model like the DJI Spark as a starter drone.

FOR THE ADVENTURER

I’ve had five different GoPros since I got my first one seven years ago, and the quality has improved significantly. After watching some of my YouTubers film exclusively with the GoPro Hero 6, I’m adding the newest model to my wishlist for our upcoming ski adventures (and it finally comes equipped with an LCD screen, too—you used to have to buy those a la carte).

FOR THE DOG OWNER

I bought a pair of travel pillows from the entrepreneurs behind Doggie Duffel, and I’m intrigued by their latest (fully-funded) project that’s essentially an all-in-one travel kit for your pup. Ella doesn’t have one of these yet, but I think I know what she’ll be finding under the Christmas tree…

FOR THE ART LOVER

I’ve been a long-time fan (turned friend) of Leslee Mitchell’s, and every time her gorgeous photography pops into my feed, I mentally bookmark it for the next time I’m doing a room makeover. I recently snagged several of her toy car prints, and I’m absolutely in love! Any giftee would be lucky to own a series of prints from this talented artist.

FOR THE SPORTY GIRL

Pretty much all my travel apparel comes from Gap Fit or Athleta—after all, I’m a girl who places comfort above style, but with most athleisure, luckily you can have both!—and a few pieces I’m loving this winter are: this metallic sweatshirt, this jersey keyhole top, this pullover hoodie and these black, leopard-print leggings.

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FOR THE VINTAGE LOVER

Wish you’d grown up in the 70s? (Me, too.) You can embrace a bygone era with this sleek record player in a portable brief case that doubles as a CD player and has USB ports. Bonus: It comes in five different colors!

FOR YOUR FRIEND WHO WORKS FROM HOME

You know that girl who works in her coziest pajamas and barely leaves her computer desk all day long, except to refill her coffee/water/bourbon glass? (AHEM.) Welllll, how much would she love to upgrade from her ratty old PJs to this amazing unicorn onesie? (Really bad, I’ll tell ya!) For one that’s a bit more subtle, Nordstrom currently has this beauty on sale.

Stocking Stuffers Under $50

Savannah Bee Co. body products. I was stoked when I recently spotted Savannah Bee’s entire line, like this body butter, for sale at Target!

Geometric rings. Psst, SVV, looking for something small to get me? Start here.

Paddywax candle. My favorite candles are those that you can reuse the container as tabletop decor after it’s burned out.

Herb mill and grinder. As someone who’s very lazy in the kitchen, I love any tool that does the hard work for me.

S’well bottle. My cousins gave me one of these nifty canteens two years ago, and it’s been a game changer in my travels as I no longer have to abuse the planet by buying bottled water.

Stocking Stuffers Under $20

Taylor Swift’s reputation album. The Old Taylor can’t come to the phone because she’s out there SLAYING it with her new album. Man, this one is going to rack up the awards, and it should be in any music lover’s repertoire of tunes.

Flamingo ornament. I’m a sucker for all things flamingos and also ornaments, and Nordstrom at Home has a whole lot of cute, travel-themed ones, many of which are on sale.

Vintage maps. SVV and I are map lovers to the core. We own more than 30 globes and a number of vintage maps, but those are tough to find, which is why I like this Etsy store, which has both domestic and international city prints.

Monogrammed copper wine stopper. Because who doesn’t want their initial atop their vino?!

Twist Magazine’s winter issue. Launched by my good friend Keryn, this new travel publication is a gorgeous glossy that’s the perfect stuffer for the family traveler.

A taco holder. What taco lover doesn’t need this in their life?!

Stocking Stuffers Under $10

Sheet masks. I’ve been addicted to sheet masking for a year now, and while the TonyMoly variety pack is my go-to order, I’m equally as obsessed with these reindeer and penguin masks from Target.

eos holiday lip balm. I keep an eos in every bag I own, and I just popped this trio of holiday flavors (peppermint mocha, vanilla bean, ginger) into my shopping cart!

A manatee tea infuser. Or if manatees aren’t your thing (you crazy), there’s also a sloth, shark or loch ness monster.

iPhone charging cords in myriad colors. Show of hands if you, like me, are always on the hunt for that missing iPhone/USB/mini-USB cord?

The Oregon Trail Card Came. Because kids these days don’t even know what it’s like to ford a river and then die of dysentery when you’re almost there.

Pop socket. This little doodad changed my life—and made me stop dropping my iPhone altogether. I didn’t know how I’d feel about it, but I love it.

Rare earth magnets. We bought these to tack things to our wall on our four-month RTW cruise, and they’ve been a game-changer on actually keeping all of our cards and photos up on the fridge. They never fall, like, ever.

Since it doesn’t feel like the holidays until I start giving away gifts, I’m giving away one big C&C stocking stuffer grab bag, full of some of my favorite things, including the Lynktec charging station, a selection of Raw Spice Bar spices, and plenty of other stocking stuffers for you to give your family and friends (or keep for yourself—I won’t judge!). The value of this box o’ fun is currently over $300—also brimming with music, beauty items, and other odds and ends I’ve purchased and wanted to share with you—though I’ll likely continue to add to that as I finish my Black Friday shopping.

All you have to do to enter is tell me your favorite holiday tradition. Don’t have one? Tell me what’s the top of your Christmas wishlist! It’s that simple. Leave a comment below, and I’ll randomly choose a winner of this bag o’ fun on Dec. 1.

PIN IT HERE

Fa La La: The Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide published first on http://ift.tt/2gOZF1v

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freedombeginswithyou · 7 years

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Saving Zac

Meet Zac. In two days, March 16th, he was to be shipped off to slaughter. Debby heard about him from her friend Chris, who is a volunteer animal transporter. Chris contacted Debby about guidance on what to do about Zac. Debby encouraged her to raise money for his rescue and said she’d help with networking.

Zac is currently being “advertised” on the Tar Heel Feedlot Facebook page. Here is their story, taken directly their website: Horses, mules, and donkeys owned by brokers who sell weekly for slaughter. Until now, horses from these individuals have shipped off directly with no chance of finding a home. After much thought and deliberation, this page was created specifically to network some of these broker-owned horses into homes rather than sending them over one of the borders. These horses are here for the purpose of being gathered to fill orders for slaughter shipment…They are listed here solely in the hopes of finding them a suitable home before their ship date. We are not a non-profit rescue – we are a feedlot and this feedlot is a for profit business.

While they will not tolerate their page being an open debate against slaughter, they are simply trying to offer other alternatives if someone so chooses to pay for their rescue. Each horse has a shipment date that is firmly set. However, once money is raised for a horse’s rescue, he or she is marked “safe.”

Zac is approximately 13 years old and is a Grey Pony Gelding. The site describes him as “…always up to something! What a cutie! This guy moves around quite a bit on the ground and definitely gives off the vibe that he has places to go, people to see, and things to do! He rides around pretty nice with his little head tucked right down! Love him!”

Less than 24 hours ago Zac was sitting in his stall, waiting. Unlike other stories we’ve shared where we are in need of a home, Zac has a temporary home waiting for him. In fact, all the transportation and home details are all set. Chris was already traveling to this feedlot next week to rescue a pony for a friend. With extra room in the trailer for Zac, she was touched by his story and determine to bring him back with her. She lined up a place for him to be quarantined upon rescue, and a temporary home to stay at until his forever home is found. All she needed is money. To be honest, that’s the easy part in these situations.

So what is the cost? It’s practically nothing. His rescue cost (which they refer to as “bail”) is $572. To be vetted and quarantined for 21-30 days will cost around $200. They are hoping to raise additional funds to help sponsor his cost until there is room for him at a rescue or sanctuary. Therefore, they have set to reach a goal of $1,000. When I originally wrote this article, he was at $425. But just a few hours later, they are at $700!

Let’s break down the remaining $300. Let’s say you’re a person who buys Starbucks every day. At $5 a day, $25 a week, that would mean only 12 people would need to give up their luxury coffee for one week in order to save his life. A life…or a latte? Seems like a simple answer. And if you can’t quite commit to that, could you challenge four friends to give up one Starbucks this week? If only 12 people asked four friends each to join them in this challenge, just a $5 donation per person, his fate would be sealed…for the good.

Without spreading the word and a simple contribution from many people, Zac would be waiting out his remaining hours scared, alone and not ready to die. Instead, he is hours away from being loved in a safe farm with new friends anxiously awaiting his arrival. Won’t you please help them reach their $1,000 goal. Donate here and please share, share, share: https://www.gofundme.com/rescue-zac.

If, by the time you read this, Zac’s costs have been reached, check out the Tar Heel Feedlot page to help rescue other animals in need. You can also continue to donate to Have a Heart Farm Sanctuary at: https://www.youcaring.com/debbyrubensteinoliviathomas-727916. Once Debby can purchase land for her farm, numerous animals will be saved. They say an apple a day, keeps the doctor away. Well, giving up a Starbucks a day can keep animal slaughter away.

Myth of the Week: Animals are the criminals. Too often organizations refer to animals in degrading ways. For example, instead of referring to the animal as a “he” or “she,” they use “it”-as if the animal were an object, not a living creature. In this case, the animal’s rescue amount is referred to as “bail.” As if these animals are criminals. The only similarity between these animals and certain criminals is that they both sit on death row with a “death timestamp,” waiting for a miracle to save them. Yet these animals are victims, not criminals. None of these situations are the fault of the animals. But it’s easier to kill them when they are referred to as objects and perpetrators.

#SavingWagnerFarm #HaveAHeartFarmSanctuary #freedombeginswithyou #youcanmakeadifference #notimetowait #changealifesavealife #veganlife #choosetochange #Chicagovegan #foreverhome

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goishmael1fan · 4 years

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Making money from your website isn’t a myth. It’s doable by anyone.In fact – turning a part-time, hobby blog or website into an income-generating asset is fairly common with a bit of luck and some hard work.At the very least, you should be able to make enough to cover your basic expenses for a domain and hosting. You might even be able to replace your income (and then earn some more).Keep in mind that the strategies listed below range from easy and passive, to the ones which require a TON of on-going work (so make sure you pick something that suits your site and lifestyle preferences).There are 33 total tips in this guide, but let’s start with the ten most popular (and predictable) site monetization tips.If you wish create a website that you plan to monetize, you can use this step-by-step guides to create your own self-hosted website at cheapest cost.10 Most Common Ways to Make Money with Your WebsiteMaking money from your website isn’t easy. These ten tips are probably your best bet to get started.1. Affiliate Marketing (.. and affiliate links)Examples of a successful affiliate site: Booking.comAffiliate marketing is one of the most popular (not to mention quickest) ways to make money from your website or blog.Start by finding a product you like and would recommend. Then on your website, you endorse the product and promote it to your website visitors and email subscribers. If the product or service resonates with these people, they’ll click on your affiliate link, purchasing the product (while you get a split of the sale price).The commission might be anywhere from 30% of the product or service price, up to as high as 70%. For example, if the split is 50% and you promote an e-book that costs $100, you’ll get $50 for simply referring the buyer. Pretty sweet deal, huh?!Where can I find products to promote?Commission junction – offers reliable products with on-time payments.ShareASale – mostly clothes, accessories, and other offline goods.Clickbank – high percentage payouts, but there’s a lack of GOOD products to promote.2. “Pay Per Click” advertising (Google Adsense)AdWords are the advertisements that show up on the top of Google search result pages.AdSense is the reverse, allowing publishers to tap into Google’s immense advertising network so that other advertisers can run ads on their website.The best part about this system is how simple everything is.Once you sign up, Google will place a simple code on your website that will identify the content of your site and start displaying relevant advertisements. For example, if your site is about pets (dogs & cats), Google AdSense will start showing your visitors ads for cat food, dog training, and more.You get paid each time someone clicks on the ad. (Yes, it’s really that easy!)Your cut might be anywhere from $0.50 to $5 per click. When your site has enough traffic, you can make hundreds (if not thousands of dollars) each month.How to apply for Google Adsense?Apply for AdSense – Before applying, make sure you keep up with their latest Terms Of Service. Google has very strict rules, so it’s hard to get (and stay) approved.3. Sell ad spaceIncorporating Google’s AdSense on your website is just one way to make money from online advertisements.Another is to simply sell your own ad space directly to companies looking to sponsor different blogs. You can come up with a price for each space, for example: “Sidebar banner ads will cost $xxx per month”.You can get paid depending on how many visitors you get. Typically it’s quoted as a dollar amount per one thousand impressions (or CPM). You might see it as $5 CPM. If the website gets 100,000 visits a month, that ad price translates into $500 bucks.The good thing about this approach is that if your site gets a ton of traffic from different sources, your simple banner ad pricing can go up to as high as $5000 per month! The obvious downside is that if your site doesn’t get a lot of traffic, you can’t expect to earn much either.The other common method when selling ad space directly from your website is a simple direct price. You simply name a price (based on what you think it’s worth, relative to what the competition might be charging), and get paid upfront at the beginning of each month. This pricing is also generally a simple flat fee, not tied to a Cost Per Click like AdSense.Where can I let others know that my website is selling ad space?BuySellAds – The most popular environment to let everybody know you’re selling ad space.4. Sell your own digital product (Ebook for example)You have the potential to make the most money on a per-sale basis when you can sell your own directly.That’s because there’s no middle-man or person in between you and the buyer that’s taking a ‘cut’ from the money earned.This approach seems fairly straightforward because you can simply sell these products directly through your website and get paid immediately. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple in reality.Creating good products that are well made and polished requires a ton of time and additional resources (like design, content, etc.). There’s a lot of ‘hidden costs’ in both time spent and the contractors to collaborate with. Selling your own products on your site also brings up problematic issues like payment gateways, shipping, and taxes.If it doesn’t sound like enough work already, you’ll also need a well designed, persuasive landing page to make sure your product has a strong conversion rate. A list of best landing page builders can be found here.Additional resources:How to sell products on your website.5. Accept donations from visitorsIf you don’t have a ton of monthly visits, but you do have a strong, engaged community? Simply ask your readers to donate!Accepting one-off donations isn’t a fast road to wealth, but it can help you cover expenses in the short-term if people like what you have to say and want to support your journey.For example, PayPal offers little donation buttons that only take about ten minutes to add to your website. These buttons offer you a quick way to recoup what you might want to be spending on a good web hosting, new product creation, research, and all of the other costs to maintain a healthy, active blog.hFor example, web.archive.org makes a lot of money from donations (most likely due to their millions of visitors per month).How to set up donation buttons?How to take donations on your website6. Sell sponsored posts (…but use nofollow tag)One of the common ways to make more money from your website means getting those visitor numbers UP.Once you’ve done the hard work of building steady traffic to your site with an engaged community, there are a few different ways to monetize your hard work.For example, many companies go out of their way to look for blogs that will feature their sponsored content. ‘Native advertising‘ like this works well because it lines up with your site’s primary content and it comes across as relevant and transparent.You can also review the products from a company in an ‘advertorial’ that’s part content, part advertisement. For example, if your website is all about the latest iOS games for iPhones and iPads, the creator of one of those ads would LOVE to have you review and feature their app to your fans.When done right, this can create a win/win scenario. However – done poorly, with irrelevant or inauthentic site content, it can erode all of the reader’s goodwill you’ve worked so hard to create in the first place.For further reading:How to make money through sponsored posts and reviews – About.com7. Generate ‘leads’ for other companiesBusinesses thrive on new leads coming in their doors to inquire about their products or services.It’s no surprise that they’re always on the lookout, searching for creative ways to find new sources of leads to help them grow.For example:Let’s say you have a website about teaching math skills. Your reader’s information (like their email address or phone number) would be of great value to different online schools who’re looking to sell their courses to eager, proactive students.Basically, you’re connecting the dots; playing the matchmaker by introducing two parties who can benefit one another. While it’s similar to how affiliate marketing works, in this case, it doesn’t actually matter if your reader ends up purchasing their product or not. They’re just looking for an introduction at this point.Where can I find such offers?MaxBountyNeverbluePeerfly8. Build an ‘Email List’Spend any amount of time reading blog growth tips, and you’re sure to come across people saying “the money’s in the list“.They’re referring to your email list, which comprises your most loyal readers. The objective is to convert as many strangers who visit your site for the first time into passionate followers who want to stay up-to-date on your latest work or content.Admittedly this is a long term strategy (and you definitely won’t get rich overnight). But it’s one of the best, long-term methods to profitably growing your blog into a full-fledged, money-making enterprise.Never lose sight of creating relationships with your followers. Offering great information or free help is a perfect way to start. Spamming people with unsolicited offers is one of the fastest ways to abuse the reader’s trust and sabotage your long-term goals.How does it EXACTLY work?Listbuilding 101 – Probably the best introduction on the internet.9. Set up an eCommerce site (hard work is required)Websites don’t just have to be about content. They can be centered around tools or products on an online store.Be forewarned:There are literally hundreds of thousands of eCommerce websites or online stores. Make sure that yours is filling a unique niche, with a detailed strategy and the latest marketing techniques to stand out from the crowd.How do I create a successful online store/shop?How to Make a WooCommerce Shop (WordPress)How to Make Shopify E-commerce Store (Shopify)10. Flip your websites (Create -> Sell -> Reinvest)Believe it or not, there’s almost always a market out there for your website.That means if you’ve built up a following (or possibly even sold a few products or included advertising on your site), you might be able to sell it to someone else and make a quick buck.To be honest, we typically don’t suggest people plan on flipping their website or blog (we’re a bigger fan of creating something for the long term).You can’t deny how lucrative it can be. For example, if your website is making $500 per/month through selling ad space, you might be able to sell the site for $5,000 – $10,000 (which is about 12x – 22x monthly income).Another interesting option is to sell ready-made sites, These are MUCH cheaper, but there’s still some money to be made.Where can I sell my site?Flippa – The most popular website market.We Buy Websites – Another popular marketplace.FEinternational – Mostly for high-end websites.By now we have counted down some of the most popular ways to earn money from your website.Yet, we’re still only just scratching the surface.Below are another 23 ways to make money with your website.(Keep in mind that some of them are slightly connected with the ones above yet they are little ‘out of the box’.) Another 23 ways to monetize your website11. Sell text-link ads (NOT RECOMMENDED) – There’s still a demand for text-links ads (believe it or not). But please keep in mind that these violate Google’s Terms of Service (which means you run the risk of getting penalized).To avoid it, simply keep the ‘nofollow‘.12. Set up “infolinks” – Infolinks are a great alternative to AdSense advertisements, that are very easy to setup. The downside is that they aren’t high in converting, and the payouts (on a per-click basis) are also quite small.13. Use monetization widgets – These are also very similar to Google Adsense, so they’re worth trying out as an alternative.14. Set up RSS feed ads. – Exactly what they sound like. Ad space for sale in-line with content from an RSS feed.15. Give away premium content for extra $$$ – If you are producing mind-blowing, awesome content that visitors can’t get enough of… you can always try asking them to pay for some of it! (Crazy concept, huh?!) I’m personally fine with paying for premium content. Bear in mind – don’t ask people to pay right away. Instead, stay focused on growing an audience and visitors first.16. Start a private forum or coaching class(es) – Most of us have unique skills that others can benefit from. Setting up a simple forum or classes is an easy way to help others and generate recurring income at the same time.17. Create a job board – Setting up a job board on your website is another simple, easy way to collect additional money when people are accepting different job offers from various companies or individuals.18. Offer consulting – Offering consulting gigs and providing services can help you bring in decent sums of money while other forms of ‘passive’ revenue take a little time to build up. You can offer these services via email, forum or even Skype.19. Add the “hire me” page on your website – Your new website or blog is also a perfect place to feature your freelancing services. Showcasing samples or evidence of past work will help greatly increase your chances of getting hired.20. Sell or rent internal pages – These aren’t very common, but you might be surprised at what people would be willing to rent or spend money on!21. Display pop-ups advertisements – Pop-ups can be extremely annoying. However, they’re also another easy way to make some quick money.22. Use content lockers – ‘Content locking’ is similar to hiding or protecting pieces of content until a visitor takes some action to redeem it. For example, maybe you want them to pay a small amount, or perhaps click on an advertisement.23. Display audio ads – These are relatively new and are becoming increasingly more common. Personally, I haven’t tried it. But I have read some articles and it definitely looks promising.24. Sell an e-book – This one is a no-brainer. Many people sell e-books through their site. Some examples: If you have a website about recipes and cooking, you can easily create and sell your own recipe book. The same applies to almost every niche.25. Create a conference around your website – Lots of work but a huge potential payoff as well.26. Set up a teaching program – Kinda like a cross between selling your own content and offering consulting or services.27. Host paid webinars – Similar to the last tip, which is largely a mix of consulting through content and a teaching program.28. Create a membership site – Yet another tier on the ‘info-business’ model that has the added benefit of bringing in recurring revenue.29. Offer coupons (with affiliate links) – People are eagerly looking for discount & promo codes for everything from clothes to travel vacations. If you can (find and) offer a valid one, you can also get a cut of that revenue too.30. Host polls on your website – Hard to believe, but easy to do!31. Offer writing gigs – You can easily make $20 – $30 per 500-word article writing for other companies or individuals. There’s also a huge potential for fluent speakers of different languages, as many companies want their websites translated by those who speak the native language.32. Create a paid directory/business page – You charge people for listing or subscribing to the page.33. Just copy what others are doing – Our personal favorite! 😉P.S. If you wish to use this infographic on your website, feel free to do so.Download the full infographic here (.png)P.S.S. If you know any other ways to monetize websites, let me know in the comment section. We’ll add it to the list and credit you by putting your name under it.

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